Drink
Kompot
Kompot or compot, as prepared in Central and Eastern Europe and West Asia, refers to boiled fruits served either as a drink or a dessert depending on the region. When served as a dessert, it is essentially identical to the French compote, which is where the term "kompot" originates from. When served as a drink, it is also known as vzvar (взвар) or uzvar (узвар), from a Slavic root word meaning "to boil".
As a drink, kompot is a sweet, non-alcoholic beverage that may be served hot or cold, depending on tradition and season. It is created by cooking fruit such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, or sour cherries in a large volume of water, often together with sugar, honey, or raisins as additional sweeteners. Sometimes different spices, such as vanilla or cinnamon, are added for additional flavour, especially in the winter, when kompot is usually served hot. Kompot is popular in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as in Southern Europe.[citation needed]
Kompot is part of the cuisine of many countries in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, as well as in the Middle East and West Asia. It is known by a variety of names in these countries, such as компот (kompot) in Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian, kompót in Slovak and Hungarian, kompotas in Lithuanian, κομπόστα (kompósta) in Greek, and komposto in Turkish. Making kompot was a common way of preserving fruit for the winter in Southern and Eastern European countries; in 1885, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa wrote in a recipe book that kompot "preserved fruit so well it seemed fresh". Kompot is also popular in many Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
