Product Review: Zukay Kvass

"Kvass" means "bread drink," a drink made from fermented rye bread. But Zukay Live Foods makes a raw, live, gluten-free version of kvass made from organic veggies, salt, active cultures, and stevia. They offered to send me a few bottles to review, and of course I agreed!

They sent Raw Carrot Ginger, Raw Beet, and Raw Beet Ginger Kvass:


Now, I'm a huge fan of kombucha tea, but I'll admit that it's an acquired taste. Fermented beverages have a very acidic, vinegar-y taste, and they're not for everybody. The kvass tastes very much like kombucha, but while most kombucha is flavored with fruit, the kvass is flavored with organic veggies.

I tried the Carrot Ginger Kvass with my co-worker Hannah on our Raw Food Thursday a few weeks back:

Hannah said it was a little too salty, but that didn't really bother me. I'm a salt-aholic, so nothing is really too salty for me. I really enjoyed the strong, acidic ginger flavor, and I felt a small burst of energy after drinking this.

The Beet and Beet Ginger flavors were even better than the carrot. The earthy beet flavor was a better complement to the fermented twang. This might be TMI, but all my, um, waste products were dyed pink after drinking this. That might seem weird, but beet juice stains EVERYTHING!

Zukay threw in a live Red Pepper Cilantro Salad Dressing too:

I'd been dying to try their raw dressings! Unlike most oil-based dressings, this one is simply made from red pepper, tomato, cilantro, garlic, salt, and live active cultures. No oil. And that means one tablespoon of dressing is only five calories!

This stuff is amazing! Just look at it on my salad:

Out of all the products Zukay sent, the dressing was my fave. I love a lot of salad dressing on my fresh veggies, and with this low-cal, flavorful dressing, I can really afford to drench my salad. The bottle suggests mixing the dressing with olive oil to create a vinaigrette, and while I'm sure that's tasty, it's not really necessary.

If Zukay is sold in your area, try the dressing and the kvass. It's not sold in Memphis, but it may be available in your area. Click here to find out. If it's not available in stores near you, you can place an order on their website.