Fermented Oat Kissel

Fermented oat kissel is one of the oldest traditional Russians meals still prepared today

Fermented oat kissel is a traditional Russian drink that goes back to the 10th century. It was made by fermenting oats with a piece of rye bread in water for a couple of days, then straining the liquid from the solids, and allowing the starch to settle on the bottom.

The starch is the most digestible part of the oat grain, which is what lactic bacteria, and particularly Lactobacillus Plantarum, prefer, and it is where the beneficial by-products of fermentation would concentrate, while bran and germ stay more resilient (source).

That fermented starch was used to make kissel by cooking it in water until it thickened. The consistency would vary from a gravy-like pourable liquid to rather thick porridge. It was served with salt and butter, and occasionally, honey. It has a very mild taste with a hint of oatmeal that’s easy to get used to.

Dr. Izotov revived and revamped traditional recipe for fermented oat kissel

Oat kissel was brought back to semi-popularity in 1990s by Russian physician Vladimir Izotov. A specialist in viral infectious diseases, Izotov suffered from tick-borne encephalitis, and turned to traditional diet and remedies looking for relief. After 8 years of regularly eating fermented oat kissel, he was cured of all his health conditions brought on by the encephalitis, which included coronary artery disease, hypertension, metabolic disease, kidney and urethra stones, impaired hearing and multiple drug allergies.

Dr. Izotov published his findings, tweaked the traditional recipe to add some kefir, and patented it as Oatmeal Kissel Izotova, which became a national property of the Russian Federation. It quickly gained another name, Russian Miracle Elixir, because of its ability to improve medical conditions that didn’t respond to regular medical and drug therapies.

At the time, there was no way to profit from holding a patent of this nature, so it doesn’t seem that Izotov was driven by money. His testimonies, as well as countless testimonies from his patients, seem very genuine.

Fermented oat kissel is very beneficial to health

The health benefits of fermented oat kissel are derived from the unique properties of oats and metabolic products of lactic fermentation, but there is no live bacteria present in cooked kissel.

Kissel is believed to nourish the body with proteins, minerals and vitamins in a way that requires no effort from the digestive system, allowing it to take care of other processes like reducing inflammation to heal what ails you.

Fermented starch, which is also endosperm of the oat groat, is very high in beta glucan, a polysaccharide that ‘induces satiety, decreases glucose uptake, and insulin response, lowers cholesterol in the blood, and controls weight through prolonged satiety‘. Beta glucans are considered prebiotics because they escape digestion in the small intestine, and get fermented, or consumed, by the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine (colon). They also have the ability to lower PH in the gut, which ‘can prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and aid in the absorption of minerals such as calcium and magnesium‘ (source, source, source).

Nothing is wasted

The by-products of oat kissel preparation are used as well, and that’s where you can get the live bacteria — the strained oats, which are believed to keep live bacteria for 3-4 weeks, and the liquid (or brine) where the oats were fermented (with live bacteria present for one week).

I simply drink the brine, it’s very mellow in taste, slightly sour and oaty, and very refreshing in warm weather. I also add some kefir, salt, honey, or pieces of fruit and berries to the strained oats and eat them as porridge. It’s an acquired taste, but I grew to really enjoy it. I also add them to oatmeal cookies and other baked goods, including sourdough breads.

Quality of oats matters

Remember, if you feel like the fermentation process is not going as quickly as it should – not all oats are created equal. Most oats have been steamed to increase shelf life and reduce rancidity since oats, like other grains and nuts, contain oils that make them go rancid pretty quickly if not stored properly.

It’s been a hassle to find truly raw oats, the ones I can sprout, and the only source I have at the moment is Blue Mountain Organics, where I get bulk amounts of hulless whole oats and rolled oats to make kissel. I sprout whole oats and make old Russian porridge called Tolokno.

HOW TO MAKE RUSSIAN FERMENTED OAT KISSEL

Ingredients
4 cups (500g) regular rolled oats
1/3 cup (70g) steel cut oats
3 tablespoons (30g) oat flour (optional)
1/2 cup (100g) kefir (how to make kefir) or another vegan-friendly option is to use a piece of stale real rye sourdough
Enough filtered, boiled and cooled water to fill a gallon jar

Equipment
One gallon mason jar with a lid
Long mixing spoon
Large bowl
Large funnel
Large fine strainer
Half gallon mason jar

Instructions

Combine rolled oats, steel cut oats and oat flour in a gallon jar:

Add kefir, and water. Stir the oats with a long spoon to incorporate the kefir. Put a lid on, cover with a towel, and leave at room temperature for 2 days.

A mixture of water, kefir and oats (or any other milled grain) provides ideal breeding conditions for the development of microbes (mostly bacteria) that have gotten into the jar out of the air, oats and kefir. Kefir is a source of lactic acid bacteria, as well as additional forage for them (it would be difficult for them to thrive on oats alone).

Oats are a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, the basic building blocks for cell growth (microbial and ours!). Also, oats are rich in vitamins, trace elements and essential amino acids useful both to humans and microbes. A microbial community develops as different groups of microbes engage in a multi-step process of metabolizing grain polymers. Each group has a role, some produce digestible nitrogen from the grain; some break down carbohydrates to form starch at first, then sugar; some break down sugars to produce acids and carbon dioxide, etc.

The activity of each group is dependent on the other groups. Lactic acid bacteria, for example, cannot exist without bacteria that supplies sugars, but at the same time they have control over the composition of the community. How? Due to acidification of the medium, and the allocation of specific anti-microbial substances that destroy putrefactive bacteria.

Lactic acid bacteria are considered to be microaerophiles (source) – they grow when the oxygen supply is limited, but not completely blocked.

That’s why if the jar is filled with a mixture to the top, the lid doesn’t need to be airtight, otherwise you provide safe haven to anaerobic fermentative bacteria that produce alcohol, or worse, putrid bacteria that muscle out the lactic acid bacteria.

After 2 days you will notice either layer separation of oats, starch and liquid; or foam at the top of the liquid, or both. You might even notice very tiny air bubbles within the oats. Your ferment is ready.
As a result of the processing of carbohydrates and lactic acid fermentation, in addition to all the useful properties of oats (high content of vitamins, minerals and amino acids), the following transformations occur:
(1) liquid and oatmeal are enriched with lactic acid bacteria and their metabolic products (enzymes, lactic acid, antimicrobial agents acting against bad bacteria)
(2) microbial community produces starchy substances from complex carbohydrates, protein, additional amino acids and vitamins.

Using a large bowl, and a strainer, remove some of the liquid, and reserve it.

Strain the rest into the big bowl, squeeze the oats with a spoon and let them drip for a few minutes:

Transfer the liquid into a half gallon mason jar to wait for the starch to drop to the bottom (you may have more or less liquid):

Rinse the original gallon mason jar, insert a funnel and a strainer. Transfer the oats to the strainer, and start rinsing them with filtered water, mixing them with a spoon for a thorough rinse.

While I was rinsing the oats into the gallon jar, some of the starch already dropped to the bottom of the half gallon jar:

Leave the jars at room temperature for several hours to allow the starch to fall to the bottom. When you see distinct layers, pour off the liquid and save for drinking, if desired. Then, combine remaining starch liquids in a half gallon jar, and stick in the fridge. More starch will drop to the bottom. You can see on the photo below how much the starch got reduced. Again, pour off the liquid, and what you’ll have is pure fermented oat starch full of protein, amino acids and vitamins.

I combine the contents of my gallon and half a gallon jars, and get about 5 1/2 cups (650 ml) of starch. Pour off as much liquid as possible, and now you are ready to cook some nutritious oat kissel:

For classic oat kissel, whisk 2 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of oat starch, bring to boil, stirring often, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the kissel thickens to a consistency you prefer. I like to eat mine like porridge, and add more starch to thicken it more quickly. Izotov recommends eating it first thing in the morning on empty stomach, with fresh butter, a dash of salt, and an optional teaspoon of raw honey.