Do you know what they drank in Russia before the advent of tea?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Old cookery books testify that our ancestors called drinks only those liquids that were satisfying, nutritious, and also did not contain alcohol. It would seem that tea should be first on this list. However, in our country, the tradition of drinking it did not appear immediately.

If you ask the citizens of our country today: “What did they drink in Russia before tea appeared?” few will answer. So what kind of drinks did the Slavs prefer? Of course, it was jelly, kvass, sbiten, fruit drink.

So, let's try to figure out what they drank in Russia before tea appeared.

Our ancestors really liked kvass. There is a version that the Greeks shared the recipe for its preparation with the Slavs. Nestor's chronicle confirms the fact that people were treated to the "bread" drink at the time when Russia was baptized.

Considering the question of what they drank in Russia before the advent of tea, it is necessary to mention that kvass was considered a drink for commoners, but despite this, many people used it. The upper classes preferredoverseas wines. Just one ruble could buy a barrel of kvass. It perfectly quenches thirst, invigorates, and also has a beneficial effect on the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system. Moreover, kvass was considered a prophylactic against scurvy and consumption.

Performing field work, the peasants stocked up on this amazingly tasty and fragrant drink in advance. It must also be emphasized that there are a huge number of recipes for its preparation.

However, the list of what they drank in Russia before the advent of tea was not limited to kvass.

Morse among the Slavs was no less popular. For the first time it is mentioned in the written monument "Domostroy". The above drink was made by mixing various types of brew with water. Cowberry and cranberry fruit drinks were especially appreciated by our ancestors. Culinary experts identify seven types of jam that are best suited for making fruit drinks.

What else did they drink before tea appeared? Of course, compote. It was considered a "northern" drink. In Russia, compote began to be consumed everywhere only in the 18th century. There is a whole arsenal of recipes for preparing the above drink. Compotes are made from almost all edible berries and fruits.

Well, why not mention the favorite ancient Russian drink - jelly? The name comes from a classic rustic dish made from oats. Later, when potatoes were brought to our country, berry and fruit drinks became popular, which were prepared with the addition ofstarch.

Despite the fact that the history of the emergence of tea in Russia is quite curious and entertaining, nevertheless, representatives of the nobility ruling in the Moscow principality did not immediately taste the gift of the "overseas" drink. And such a gift was made in 1638 by the boyar son Vasily Starkov, who, upon arrival from Altyn Khan, presented the offering directly to the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. However, the tea ceremony came into "fashion" a little later, when in 1665 the "invigorating" drink healed another tsar, Alexei Mikhailovich, from the "stomach disease".

Fourteen years later, an agreement was signed with China on regular supplies of tea to the Russian capital.

Despite the fact that there were very few areas suitable for tea growing in our country, attempts to grow our own crop were crowned with success only in the middle of the 19th century. In the next century, the cultivation of the above plant reached such a level that our country took a leading position in the list of leading countries in the production of tea on the planet.