 Fruit kissel | |
| Alternative names | Kisel, kiisseli (Finnish) Kisiel (pl. kisiele) (Polish) |
|---|---|
| Type | jelly |
| Course | dessert ordrink |
| Region or state | Central andEastern Europe,Russia andFinland |
| Main ingredients | 1) fruit juice (or puree) or milk thickened withcornstarch orpotato starch; 2) grain or oat flakes |
Kissel orkisel[a] is a simple dish with the consistency of a thick gel, and made of sweetfruit,berry, grains (oatmeal,rye,wheat),peas, or frommilk.[1] It belongs to the group of cold-solidified desserts,[2] although it can be served warm.
"Kissel" is derived from a Slavic word meaning 'sour', after a similar old Slavic dish—a leavened flourporridge (or weaksourdough) which was made from grain, most commonlyoats, but any grain, includinglegumes likepeas orlentils could be used. Bean kissels were typically not leavened, and lacked the sweetness of the modern variants.[citation needed]
Grain-based kissels were known 9000 years ago in ancientAnatolia andMesopotamia, they are mentioned inSumerian andAkkadian texts.[1] In ancient times, oatmeal kissel was prepared by fermentation ofoat milk.[1]
In Russia, oatmeal, rye or wheat kissel was an everyday dish, but also a ritual one, eaten atfuneral feasts.[1] Hot oatmeal kissel was usually eaten withlinseed orhemp oil.[1] When cooled and solidified, it was cut and served with milk,jam or with friedonions.[1]
Oat-based kissel soup is one of the characteristic national dishes of Poland (żurek) and Belarus.[1]
In oldPolish cuisine, the namekisiel orkisielica was used for thick soups (slush,Polish:breja, pluralbreje) made offish gelatin.[3] InFrench cuisine there was a similar dish known, calledgelée – a berry-fruit jelly-kissel made with addition ofgelatin based on fish waste.[1] Contemporary fruit kissels are solidified with starch and the preparation prosess doesn't require fermentation, therefore they are easier to make.[1] In the formerRussian Empire, fruit kissels appeared in late 19th[1] century or at the beginning of 20th, when affordablepotato starch became easily available.[4] In Western European languages, fruit and berry sweet kissels based on starch do not have a common name and are attributed to "fruit cereals", "gravy", "sautés", "fruit sauces" etc.[1]
Among other dishes closely related to starch-solidified kissels are:rice pudding,flummery (British cuisine),Haferschleim (German),Lokum (Turkish),polenta (Italian) ormamalyga (Eastern-Roman).[1]
Fruit kissel is a viscous dish, popular as a dessert and as a drink in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe.[5][6] It consists of the sweetened juice (or puree[7]) of berries. Sometimesred wine, fresh, ordried fruits are added as well.[6] It is similar tomors, but usually thickened withcornstarch orpotato starch;arrowroot[8] may be used as a substitute as well. The thickness varies depending on how much starch is used and on temperature. Thin kissel is most easily consumed by drinking, while thicker versions are almost like jelly and eaten with a spoon. Kissel can be served either hot or cold. Can be paired with sweetenedquark or cream, can also be served on pancakes or with ice cream.
It is similar to the Danishrødgrød and GermanRote Grütze.[5] Swedishblåbärssoppa is a similarly preparedbilberry dessert.[citation needed]
Today, most Polish households prepare fruit kissel from instant mixes instead of the traditional way. The most popular flavours arestrawberry,gooseberry, andraspberry[citation needed]. In Russia, the most popular flavours arecranberry,cherry, andredcurrant[citation needed].
In Lithuania, cranberry kissel (Lithuanian:spanguolių kisielius[9]) is a traditional meal onKūčios (Christmas Eve supper).
In Finland, kissel is often made ofbilberries (since they can often be found growing wild in forests, and are thus both easy to gather and free) as well as from prunes, apricots, strawberries, etc.Rhubarb can also be used (see#Vegetable kissel), but is often combined with strawberries to produce a sweeter flavour.Kuningatarkiisseli ('Queen's kissel') is made with mixed berries and berry juices, generally bilberries and raspberries. Prune kissel (luumukiisseli) is traditionally eaten withrice pudding at Christmas.[citation needed]
Less common, vegetable kissel is made from boiled or baked vegetables such asrhubarb,[10]pumpkins, orbeetroot.[citation needed]
(Polish:budyń orkisiel mleczny;Finnish:maitokiisseli) is acreamy pudding, similar tosemolina pudding orbudino. It is made frommilk andpotato starch (Poland[11]) orcorn starch (Finland[12]) and flavoured with sugar andvanillin (orvanilla) orcocoa powder. It can also be enriched with the addition ofbutter andyolks.[11]
It may be eaten as a dessert, alone, or garnished withfruit syrups,sauces,jams, fresh ordried fruit, or with cookies and biscuits.
It may also be used as an ingredient in cake creams (i.e. forkarpatka ornapoleonka). Most Polish households prepare milk kissel frominstant mixes instead of the traditional way.
Kissel is mentioned in thePrimary Chronicle, where there is a story of how it saved the city ofBelgorod inKievan Rus', besieged by nomadicPechenegs in 997. When the food in the city became scarce, the population followed the advice of an old man, who told them to make kissel from the remnants of grain, and a sweet drink from the lastmead they could find. They filled a wooden container with the kissel, and another one with the mead drink, and put those containers into the holes in the ground, and built two fakewells over them. When the Pechenegian ambassadors came into the town, they saw how the inhabitants took the food from those "wells", and the Pechenegs even were allowed to taste the kissel and mead beverage. Impressed by that show and degustation, Pechenegs decided to lift the siege and to go away, having concluded that theRuthenians were mysteriously fed from the earth itself.[13]
InRussian fairy tales, the land of marvels (similar toCockaigne) is described as the land of "milk rivers and kissel banks". This expression became anidiom in Russian for prosperous life or "paradise on earth".[14]
Another phrase common in Russia and Poland, "the seventh water after kissel" (Polish:siódma woda po kisielu,Russian:седьмая вода на киселе,romanized: sedmaya voda na kisele), is used to describe a distant relative.[15]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
