Russian Railway Legacy · Fermented Drink
Gewasi (格瓦斯) Kvass
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: N509FZ / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
It's brewed from fermented rye bread, not grapes or grain mash — locals call it 'liquid bread.'
Gewasi is Harbin's take on Russian kvass, a lightly sour, faintly fizzy fermented drink introduced by Russian railway workers and settlers over a century ago. It's sold from street carts and grocery coolers across the city, often alongside Harbin's Russian-influenced sausages and bread.
Why it's made this way: Heavy Russian influence from the China Eastern Railway era left Harbin with a beverage tradition found nowhere else in China.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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