Sbiten
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Sbiten (Russian: сбитень) or vzvar (взвар)[1] is a traditional East Slavic (Belarusian,[2] Ukrainian,[3] Russian[4]) hot winter beverage. It has a dark purple appearance and, depending on the recipe, can be very spicy and/or very sweet. It used to have the reputation of a Russian Glühwein, although it normally contains no alcohol.[1] Modern sbiten can also be served cold during the summer or added to tea or coffee.
History[edit]
First mentioned in chronicles in 1128, sbiten remained popular with all classes of Russian society until the 19th century when it was replaced by coffee and tea.[5] In the 18th century sbiten still rivalled tea in popularity and was considered a cheaper option.[1] Peter the Great had sbiten given to the work force involved in building his new capital for reasons of cold prevention.[1] In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian sailors would consume sbiten as a remedy against scurvy (especially when mixed with citrus or ginger juice).[6]
After the breakup of the Soviet Union it was revived as a sickly sweet and spicy syrup widely distributed through monastery shops.[7] A producer from Pushkinskiye Gory reports sales of about 12 tons of sbiten each month.[7] In September 2018 Vladimir Putin bought a bottle of sbiten at a market in Vladivostok and presented it to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.[8]
Preparation[edit]
Like mead and medovukha, sbiten' is based on honey mixed with water, spices, and jam. One recipe of sbiten' is described in the 16th-century Domostroy. Compared to kvass, sbiten' is very simple to prepare. In some recipes, honey and sbiten' flavor (spices, juices) are boiled down and then these two parts are combined and boiled again. In other recipes, all the ingredients are combined and boiled at once. The drink can also be made alcoholic by substituting red wine for the water. It can be garnished with mint leaves or cinnamon sticks.
Sbiten vendors[edit]
Sbitenshchik (Russian: сбитенщик) was a sbiten vendor in medieval Russia and the Russian Empire who attracted attention to his merchandise by loud advertisement calls and chastushkas.[1] Khodebshchik was a mobile sbiten vendor who carried his goods with him through the streets of a city.[1] It was usually a stout strong man, as it required great physical strength to carry a string of glasses and a metal pot full of sbiten.[1]
The comic opera The Sbiten Vendor (Сбитенщик – Sbitenshchik) by Yakov Knyazhnin with music by Czech composer Antoine Bullant (1783) was very popular in Russia at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.[9]
Sbiten peddlers contributed to the development of the samovar. In the 18th century they invented its precursor called sbitennik (сбитенник) — a type of kettle that kept sbiten warm at all times.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Сбитень из самовара". 16 December 2019.
- ^ Ėtnahrafii︠a︡ Belarusi : ėntsyklapedyi︠a︡. Shami︠a︡kin, Ivan. Minsk. 1989. ISBN 5-85700-014-9. OCLC 22068282.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Інститут мовознавства ім. О.О.Потебні | Словник української мови". inmo.org.ua. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ G. Kublitsky. Peoples of the Soviet Union: Traditions and Customs. Moscow, 1990. P. 42.
- ^ "Sbiten' Honey-based concentrates". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ ""Стали важничать да барничать"". 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Как монастырь из псковской глубинки взялся былую славу экспортёров России возрождать".
- ^ "Путин и Си Цзиньпин вместе приготовили блины с икрой". 11 September 2018.
- ^ Warrack, John; West, Ewan (7 March 1996). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-280028-2.
External links[edit]
- How to Make Sbiten - wikiHow article