In the dispute about the basis of Okroshka, the Pyaterochka chain of stores, after analyzing the demand for ingredients for this dish, gives a definite answer: its customers prefer the kefir recipe instead of kvass. “Kefir has become the most popular basis for making okroshka – it accounts for 64% of all purchases,” the company said in a statement.
However, there is one caveat: kefir is most often bought in the south of the country – in Kabardino-Balkaria, the Stavropol Territory, Kalmykia and North Ossetia. But in Siberia, kvass is easier to choose. “Up to 68% of buyers from the Kemerovo, Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, as well as the Altai Territory, choose kvass,” the researchers write.
The reason for this lies in the history of the dish. The fact is that the classic Russian okroshka is made on kvass, in addition, it is light, sour. But some sour milk came to us from the south.
“There is no such dish as okroshka on kefir in Russian cuisine. This is an invention of the last decades, ”says Vlad Piskunov, historian of Russian cuisine, brand chef of the Matryoshka restaurant socialbites.ca.
He also underlines that he does not condemn people who prefer kefir. “For me, it is better to make okroshka on kefir than with kvass, which we sell in stores. It is completely unsuitable for Okroshka, ”explains the expert.
According to Piskunov, of the regional versions of okroshka, he likes the one prepared in the Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, for which white kvass is used for food.
Indeed, in cookbooks published in pre-Soviet Russia, there is no okroshka on kefir. So, Pelageya Alexandrova-Ignatieva, author of the work “Practical Foundations of Culinary Art”, written in 1899, recommends cooking okroshka by slicing beef (boiled or fried), roast veal, fried game, ham or cucumber with tongue. boiled eggs in small cubes. Finely chopped greens (chives, tarragon and green onions) are added to this set.
“All products prepared in this way are placed in a stone glass and sweetened to taste: poured with salt, sugar, ready-made mustard, grated horseradish and sour cream, and then kvass,” writes the classic of Russian cuisine.
Culinary historian Maxim Marusenkov posted on his Telegram channel an older recipe called “Ribchiki in sour cream”, written at the end of the 18th century. Its author is Vasily Levshin, one of the founders of Russian culinary literature, who in 1816 published the book Russian Cuisine (Instruction on the preparation of all kinds of real Russian dishes and the preparation of various ingredients for future use).
“A variety of fried meat is made from the remains of four-legged, domestic and wild birds; but the best for this are turkey, black grouse and piglet. With raw onions, fresh or pickled cucumbers, remove the skin from the bones, add salted plums cut from the bones; mix it all, mash with a spoon, moisten cucumbers or strain the brine with the addition of vinegar; let stand and when serving, dilute with kvass, ”Levshin writes about the preparation of okroshka.
Where did the idea come from that not only kvass, but also kefir is suitable for making okroshka?
According to Marusenkov, this is a Soviet invention, originally called the “Ashgabat okroshka”. And this dish comes from Central Asia, as you might guess.
The correct name for “okroshka on kefir” is Ashgabat okroshka. The Marusenkov channel writes that the first recipe for this okroshka was probably published under this name in the 1977 book “Soviet National and Foreign Cuisine”.
He notes that in the USSR in the late ’70s, “it was still clear that this was a Central Asian rethinking of Russian food.” But in the late 80s and 90s, adding kefir to the classic Russian okroshka became a matter of taste, albeit controversial.
Evgeny Mikhailov, chef of the [email protected] restaurant, confirms this opinion: “The secret to a delicious okroshka is good kvass, or if you prefer this soup with fermented milk products, then high-quality kefir, buttermilk and other favorite drinks,” says.