Kompot
 Traditional Bulgarian kompot | |
| Alternative names | Compot |
|---|---|
| Type | Drink |
| Place of origin | Europe; primarily Slavic countries |
| Serving temperature | Cold, hot, or room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Various fruit |
| Variations | Uzvar |
Kompot or compot is a non-alcoholic sweet beverage that may be served hot or cold, depending on tradition and season. It is obtained by cooking fruit such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples, rhubarb, gooseberries, or sour cherries in a large volume of water, often together with sugar or raisins as additional sweeteners. Sometimes different spices such as vanilla or cinnamon are added for additional flavor, especially in winter when kompot is usually served hot. Kompot is popular in Central and Eastern European countries as well as in Scandinavia.
Kompot
Kompot is part of the culinary cultures of many countries in Central, Eastern, Southeastern and Northern Europe such as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Slovakia, Moldova, Turkey, East Germany, Austria and Romania, (where it is known as compot) as well as in Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Kompot ("компот" in Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Bosnian and Ukrainian) was a widely used way of preserving fruit for the winter season in Central and Eastern European countries. In 1885, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa wrote in a recipe book that kompot preserved fruit so well it seemed fresh.[1] Kompot was still popular in the 1970s. It is still popular in many Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and also in Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and in other Central and Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Dozens of recipes may be found in the Polish recipe book, Kuchnia Polska.[2]
The consumption of kompot has been declining since the 1980s. With the end of rationing in many countries of Central and Eastern Europe, kompot has been supplanted by fruit juice, soft drinks, and mineral water.[3]
Uzvar
Uzvar or vzvar is a similar drink prepared from various dried fruits and sometimes berries sweetened with honey or sugar.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, Jedyne praktyczne przepisy konfitur, różnych marynat, wędlin, wódek, likierów, win owocowych, miodów oraz ciast
- ^ Berger, Stanisław (2005). Kuchnia Polska (in Polish) (XLVII ed.). Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Ekonomiczne, then rebranded into Polskie Wydawnictwo Ekonomiczne. ISBN 83-208-1556-8.
- ^ Viviane Bourdon, Savoureuse Pologne, 160 recettes culinaires et leur histoire, Paris, La Librairie polonaise, les éditions Noir sur Blanc, 2006