Kissel or kisel (, , Livonian: kīsõl, , , , , , , , , ) is a cold-solidified dish with the consistency of a thick gel. If the kissel is made less thick, it can be drunk—this is common in Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Grain kissel / etymology and history Its name is derived from a Slavic word meaning "sour", after a similar old Slavic dish—a leavened flour porridge (or weak sourdough) which was made from grain—most commonly oats, but any grain, and even legumes like peas or lentils could be used, though bean kissels usually were not leavened—and lacked the sweetness of the modern variants. Kissel is first mentioned in the old East Slavic Primary Chronicle where there is a story of how it saved the 10th-century Rus' city of Bilhorod, besieged by nomadic Pechenegs in 997. When the food in the city became scarce and a hunger started, the inhabitants of the city followed an advice of an old man, who told them to make kissel from the remnants of grain, and a sweet drink from the last mead they could find. Then they filled a wooden container with the kissel, and another one with the mead drink, put those containers into the holes in the ground and made up two fake wells over them. When the Pechenegian ambassadors came into the town, they saw how the inhabitants took the food from those "wells", and the Pechenegs even were allowed to taste the kissel and mead beverage. Impressed by that show and degustation, Pechenegs decided to lift the siege and to go away, having concluded that the Ruthenians were mysteriously fed from the earth itself. Fruit kissel Fruit kissel is a viscous fruit dish, popular as a dessert and as a drink in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It consists of the sweetened juice (or puree) of berries, like mors, but it is thickened with cornstarch, potato starch or . Sometimes red wine or fresh or dried fruits are added. It is similar to the Danish rødgrød and German Rote Grütze. Swedish blåbärssoppa is a similarly prepared bilberry dessert. Kissel can be served either hot or cold, also together with sweetened quark or cream. Kissel can also be served on pancakes or with ice cream. Nowadays most Polish households prepare fruit kissel from instant mixes instead of the traditional way. The most popular flavours are strawberry, gooseberry,