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Red currant kissel. |
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Kisiel or kisel (Russian: кисель)
is a popular dessert in Eastern and Northern Europe. It consists of sweetened
juice, thickened with arrowroot, cornstarch or potato starch, and sometimes red
wine or dried fruits are added. |
Kissel can be served either hot or cold, also together with sweetened
quark or
semolina pudding. Kissel can also be served on
pancakes or with ice cream. If
the kissel is made using less thickening starch, it can be drunk - this is
common in Russia.
Its name is derived from a Slavic word meaning "sour" (cf.
Russian кислый kisly), as sour fruits are preferred.
Kissel is made by first mixing water with potato flour and
smashed fruits, then boiling this mixture.
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Recently it is also possible to buy instant kissel. Nowadays
most Polish households prepare kissel from instant mixes instead of the
traditional way. The most popular flavours are strawberry, gooseberry, and
raspberry. In Russia, the most popular flavours are cranberry, cherry, and red
currant. |
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Left: Commercial Kissel from Poland. |
In Finland, kisel is called kiisseli and is often made of blueberries (since
those can often be found growing wild in the forests and are thus both easy to
gather and free) as well as from prunes, apricots, strawberries, etc. The
thickness can vary depending on how much potato flour is used: thin blueberry
soup is most easily consumed by drinking while the thickest version is almost
like jelly and is eaten with a spoon. Rhubarb can also be used, but it's often
combined with strawberries to make it less tart.
