Mochinnia

Soaking ferment (Ukrainian mochinnia) is an ancient traditional Ukrainian way of preserving fruit and berries, akin to souring but with a milder, sweet-sour result. The best-known example is soaked apples, and also soaked pears, plums, lingonberries, and cranberries.

The essence is a light lactic-acid fermentation in a liquid medium. The fruits are packed tightly into a barrel or jar, layered with fragrant leaves (cherry, currant, oak), and covered with a special brine — usually sweetish water with added salt, honey, or sugar, sometimes rye flour or malt to start the fermentation. The vessel is kept in the cool for several weeks while the natural bacteria do their work. Unlike the sharp flavour of pickles, soaked fruits keep their juiciness and take on a delicate, refreshing sweet-sour taste with a pleasant aroma. It is not only a way to keep the harvest for winter but also to turn it into a refined appetiser and a source of vitamins and probiotics. Soaking ferment is a characteristic feature of authentic Ukrainian cuisine.