Kissel (Russian cuisine) : The kissel (in Russian: кисель — we pronounce kissiél' — in Polish: Kisiel) is a desserts cold from the kitchen Russian, made of a jelly sweet, thickened with some starch et perfumed to Red fruits visit us at the White wine or the family café. The kissel is also served hot, accompanied by crème fraîche. The kissel looks like a Soupe sweet to fruits, which constitutes a dessert traditional in Eastern and Northern Europe. He is made up From fruit juice sugar, thickened with some starch or starch ; sometimes we add Red wine to Dried fruit. The kissel is close to the Danish rødgrød or the German “Rote Grütze”.
The kissel is used hot ou cold, sometimes with fromage blanc or porridge de semolina, or on pancakes or with ice cream. When it contains littlethickening, it can be drunk, which is common in Russia.
The Swedish blåbärssoppa is a kissel of blueberries which is prepared and eaten in a similar way, but from blueberries fresh ou frozen, and no dried.
Etymology and legend: The term kissel derives from a Slavic word meaning " sour, acid (in Russian: кислый, kisly), because sour fruits are preferably used. The first known mention of this type of dessert is in the Chronicle of Past Times, in which an anecdote tells how the kissel saved a city besieged by the Petchenegs in 997: when famine broke out in the city, its inhabitants, on on the advice of an old man, made kissel from leftover grain, and a sweet drink from the last mead they could find. They then filled a container with kissel, another with mead, placed these containers in holes in the ground and built two false wells above. When the Pecheneg emissaries arrived in the city, they saw the Russians drawing their food from these "wells", and were even allowed to taste the kissel and the drink. Impressed by this demonstration and this tasting, the Petchenegs decided to lift the siege, having concluded that the Russians were mysteriously feeding on the land itself.
Preparation: The kissel is made by first incorporating starch or starch inwater containing fruit (usually Red fruits) On parts, then doing boil The mixture.
Recently, instant kissel can be found on the market. In Poland, for example, home-prepared kissel is increasingly based on ready-to-eat mixes. The aromas the most popular are strawberry, The gooseberry and Raspberry. In Russia, we appreciate the kissel à la cranberry, cerise, red currant.
In Lithuania, cranberry kissel (kisielius in Lithuanian) is also a dish traditional New Year's Eve de magic.
In Finland, kissel (kiisseli in Finnish) is often made from blueberries, which are found in abundance in the country, but also from prunes,apricots, strawberries, etc. The consistency depends on the proportion ofstarch used; the Soupe of liquid blueberries is rather consumed as soft drink, thicker, it looks like jelly and we consume it spoon. You can also use the rhubarb as ingredient, but it is usually mixed with strawberries to make preparation less acid.
Russian proverbs and sayings about the kissel: Many Russian proverbs and sayings refer to the kissel:
– The kissel will not spoil your stomach (Киселем брюха не испортишь)
– Where there is kissel, I sit, where there are pierogi, I sit (Где кисель, тут и сел, где пирог, тут и лег)
– Travel seven versts to eat kissel (За семь вёрст киселя хлебать)
– The mouse is not cheerful, she ate too much kissel (Мышь не весела, объелась киселя)
– The kissel does not damage the teeth (Кисель зубов не портит)
– The dough is the same, but the kissel is different (Та же опара, да кисель другой)
– Such a naive type as the kissel is thick (Мужик простой, что кисель густой)
– A Tatar lives in a dream of the kissel, but there was no spoon; he then lay down with a spoon, but there was no more kissel. (Видел татарин во сне кисель, так не было ложки, лег спать с ложкой — не видал киселя)
– The river of milk (or honey) with kissel banks (Молочная [медовая] река, кисельные берега) is a recurring theme in traditional Russian tales.