Mushroom Kvass (Soup)

Another dish, one of the almost lost dishes of the Belarusian-Lithuanian cuisine, which was once widespread, is mushroom kvass. This is not a drink, not a drinking kvass made from mushrooms, as some might think, but a soup with sour and sharp taste, always with mushrooms, usually lenten. But this dish also has (or at least had) many different variations, its own “microcosm”, which is largely incomprehensible to today's people.

Since this dish seems to have never been in the focus of attention of the gentry writers of the 19th century, it is impossible to say for how long it has been known from written sources. But there is no doubt that it was no less traditional than borscht or okroshka made with beet kvass. As a rule, it was cooked on acidified bread kvass (maybe just to dispose of slightly spoiled kvass). But in general, you can also use beet kvass, or even just vinegar or citric acid (although this is “not classy"). After all, in the old days in the Belarusian language, as well as in Polish, the word “kvass” also meant ”acid". "With-mushrooms-and-sour" - that's what mushroom kvass is, if you don't go into details. Both dried and fresh mushrooms can be used for making this soup; dried fish or even meat can be added too.