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Draft:Phut (juice)

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  • Comment: Many of these photos are AI-generated. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 21:49, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: No, there are no AI-generated photos. I was in Kuyavia and took them with my own camera, I saw the menu with my own eyes, I even ate the phut, it tasted good. Getdincts 08:37, 17 July 2025 (UTC)


Not to be confused with Phut (biblical figure).

Phut /ˈfʊt/ FUUT (Polish: fiut, fjut, Russian: фют, фьют, Japanese: フュット) – a thick, sweet juice (syrup) obtained from sugar beets, whose main ingredient is sucrose.[1]. A traditional product characteristic of the Kujawy region. Its consistency resembles liquid honey,[2] while its taste resembles caramel[3] but with a sour note [4]. The color of phut is dark brown, similar to that of buckwheat honey[4] or Coca-Cola, but sometimes it might appear in a more golden-yellow[5] or strawberry-like reddish hue because of the difference in the ratio of sugar beet to other additives.

Jar of phut, as sold in Świecie, Poland. The logo is a stylized "ᘚ", and the "U" in "FIUT" is stylized as the mirror image of ᘚ, which is ᘛ. (FIᘛT)
Jar with phut
Bread with phut

The syrup is produced at home in Kujawy – a region where sugar beet cultivation has a long tradition. This thick syrup was used for children as a substitute for sweets. It was used, among other things, as a spread on bread. It was also added to pies[1], french fries, coca-cola, and traditional Kuyavian yellow sandwiches called Żółciochy, made from Polish Kajzerka bun, cheese, egg yolk, mayonnaise, turmeric, and mild mustard or in some variations, honey-mustard sauce. Currently, it is served with milk, tea, milk jelly (pudding), and as an addition to cakes,[6] naleśniki,[7] and Żółciochy.

Phut was added to the list of traditional products by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on July 27, 2012.[8]. According to the Ministry's regulations, the syrup is prepared as follows: first, the washed beets are shredded, e.g., grated or chopped into small pieces, and then placed in a vessel where they are steamed for approximately 5 hours. To prevent the beets from burning, a small amount of water is added. After steaming the beets, the juice is collected, and the remaining pulp is pressed in a special press. The drained juice and the juice extracted from the press are then boiled together for another 12 hours. One hundred kilograms of sugar beets can yield 50 liters of juice, and that juice can yield approximately 5 liters of phut[1][9]

The name fiut is commonly anglicized as "phut". Polish regional names for phut, include fjut, fiót, syrop, and cyrop.[1]

Etymology

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The regional term fiut (anglicized as phut) for the sugar‑beet syrup has roots in Kujawy dialect and likely originates from analogies to its thick, “pulling” or viscous consistency[10]. The initial f- does not exist in native Polish words, but it's present in this word because it is an onomatopoeia. "Fiut" is an onomatopoeia for a pulling sound of pulling out the phut. Locals would describe the pully, stretchy consistency of phut as „był taki fiuuuuu…t ciągliwy” ("it was so phuuuuu…t stretchy")[5]. This onomatopoeic word is likely related to the dialectal word fiucić ("to stretch").[11] ᘚ is used as a symbol for phut in Kuyavia. It is used as a marking on jar labels to mean "phut" and the form "zᘚ" in restaurants to mean "with phut". The word "fiut" is also used in Bory Tucholskie dialect, with the exact same meaning as in Kuyavian dialect, i.e. referring to the jam made from beets. [12] The alternate spelling with "j" (fjut) likely arose from the need of distinguishing the word with the derogatory slang term fiut.[13]

Phut restaurant in Radziejów, Poland, showing a stylized ᘚ sign as its logo
Menu in the Fiut restaurant in Radziejów, including the abbreviation "zᘚ" for z fiutem ("with phut") and the nonstandard abbreviation z/s instead of the standard zł/szt
Żółciochy zᘚ as served in Radziejów, Poland. Notice the stylized "Fiᘛt" jar label

Composition and nutritional properties

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Phut is primarily composed of sucrose[1] and molasses[14] from sugar beets[1], rarer variants can include molasses from Saccharum officinarum, a type of sugar cane, or from carob, a type of shrub[14]. Beyond its sweetness, Phut is notable for its nutritional content. It is rich in vitamins, including a significant amount of vitamin C, B1, carotene, and vitamin P. Furthermore, it provides numerous macro- and microelements, such as high levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, along with two rare metals: rubidium and cæsium[15]. It is very important in fighting cancer. The red color of beets comes from anthocyanins, which have a therapeutic effect on malignant tumors[15]. Beets are very rich in folic acid. Phut recognized therapeutic properties, potentially beneficial for individuals experiencing fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, or a pervasive lack of joy. Phut retains the beets' nutritional and healing properties.[15] It also helps people with anemia, because it supports the building of red blood cells. [16] Phut is also healthy for diabetics and pregnant women.[1]

History

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Before the start of the 19th century, sugar beets weren't popular. The rapid increase of its popularity was caused by the German chemist Franz Karl Achard, who discovered a way to make sugar from sugar beets. [4] In 1801, the first sugar factory was opened by King Frederick William III of Prussia, in the village of Konary near Wołów in Lower Silesia, Poland. The factory was very successful, and the popularity of sugar beet harvesting quickly increased.[4] Many large sugar plantations appeared in Kuyavia and Pomerania, because those regions had good fertile soils and climate.[4] Children loved sweets, and at that time, honey was used as sweets for children to eat. [4] However, honey was a luxury food [4] it was very expensive[9]. Because of this, phut was developed as a cheap substitute for honey, [4][9] and was made from the beets.[4] Many of the first sugar factories appeared in the 1830's, which caused an increase in the popularity of sugar beet harvesting.[9]. These sugar factories include Cukrownia Pelplin, Cukrownia Świecie nad Wisłą, and Cukrownia Nakło nad Notecią (formerly called Cukrownia Rudki), all situated in the Pomerania region in Poland[5]. These factories contracted sugar beet throughout Central Pomerania, including Bory Tucholskie and Kociewie, where multiple diverse varieties of phut are popular.[5] In Ziemia chełmińska, there was located one of the oldest, third in Europe, sugar factories – Cukrownia Chełmża. [5]

In 1947.[4] a priest named Bernard Sychta was describing Bory Tucholskie[11] and in the description was mention of a local condiment that was called fjut("phut")[11][5]

Currently, the only person who makes the syrup the traditional way without modern machinery and still sells it, is Marzena Przytarska.[17]

Method of production

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Here is the method of production, as explained by Grażyna Szelągowska, Marzena Przytarska[17], and Jeremiasz Przytarski[11] in the Flavor Festival in Gruczno

First, the sugar beets are washed. During this stage, the leaves are removed (either by tearing or cutting).[11]

Then, the beets are scraped to remove any excess dirt that was stuck to the beet and couldn't be removed by washing.[11] The washed beets are later transferred into a special beet slicer (Polish: krajalnica[11] or szatkownica[17]), and sliced into small pieces called wiórki ("shavings, shreds")[11]

The chopped sugar beets are transferred to a large steam cooker (Polish: parnik), where the beets steam and start to seep with juice. The steaming process lasts about 4 hours [17].

The juice, along with small pieces of the steamed sugar beets to a special Polish beet press (Polish: prasa[11], dialectally also presa[11][17]), where the juice that's still inside the beet is squeezed out[11] through a cheesecloth made of linen[17]

Then, the squeezed out beets are discarded, and the juice is cooked in a pot[11] for over a dozen hours [14]. 12 hours is a popular reference point of time[5], though not universal. About 40[11] to 50[1] liters of juice, yields 5 liters of syrup called phut[11]. 1.5 metric tons of beets, in turn, would yield 300 liters of said syrup.[17]

The phut is later transferred into a jar.[11][17]

Variations of phut

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The standard variation is simply called phut (Polish: fiut, alternate spelling fjut, dialectal term cyrop originating from the German word zuckersirup that was pronounced with the local Polish accent as cukersiroup and shortened to cyrop[5][18]). It is made from sugar beets. It is sometimes called fiut kujawski ("Kuyavian phut") or czarny fjut ("black phut") to distinguish it from Kociewian phut.[11]

There exists a variation called Kociewian phut (Polish: fiut kociewski[19], fjut kociewski), made with a mixture of sugar[11] and buttermilk[20] instead of sugar beets, and served with pancakes called ruchanki [20] or ruchańce [21]. The "ruchanki" spelling is more commonly used when served with Kociewian phut[20], and "ruchańce" is used more commonly with black phut[21], however, both spellings refer to the same type of pancake, known as racuchy in standard, non-dialectal Polish. The flavor is similar to krówka (Polish fudge).[11]. It's colloquially called miód z maślanki ("honey made from buttermilk")[19][22][23] or nutella prababci ("great-grandmother's Nutella). [24]

Other variations can include carob, sugar cane, [14] table beets[15], carrots[4], or plums[4]. The term gala is sometimes used alongside "phut", to specifically refer to the plum variety[4][5], but even if it is used, it's still considered a specific type of phut, as opposed to its own type of condiment. This "gala" variety is very similar to powidl or plum butter.[5]

[edit]

There is a song about phut made by Suno AI, titled "Przysmak Faerunu". [25] The lyrics involve a play-on-words on the double meaning of fiut, in the chorus "Poliż fiut, possij fiut", ("lick the phut, suck the phut", where fiut can mean phut, or slang term for penis) only to later be clarified that it was intended to be about phut, with the next line "wiejski fiut, dobry fiut". ("phut made in villages, good/tasty/yummy phut")

Phut was also eaten in an episode of the Polish breakfast television show "Pytanie na śniadanie".[26]

There is also a vodka called Fjutówka, that is made by TikToker Ewelina Grzesińska and includes phut as its primary ingredient. [27] Variations of Fjutówka include the regular Fjutówka (38% alcohol)[28], the coffee-flavored Kawowy Fjut (Coffee Phut), [29] [30] Złoty Fjut (Golden Phut)[31] made with edible gold flakes, and Fjutówka Dubajówka (Dubai Phut) [32] made with Dubai chocolate.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h https://ddwloclawek.pl/pl/546_ciekawostka/18334_ta-nazwa-budzi-kontrowersje-skad-wzial-sie-fiut-w-naszym-regionie.html
  2. ^ https://magazyn-kuchnia.pl/magazyn-kuchnia/56,121951,18607631,osobliwe-nazwy-polskich-dan.html?disableRedirects=true
  3. ^ https://dziendobry.tvn.pl/przepisy-kulinarne/fjut-przepis-na-tradycyjny-cyrop-krok-po-kroku-st6140346
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48dh5Zc_XOU
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/fjutcyrop
  6. ^ https://bydgoszcz.wyborcza.pl/bydgoszcz/56,48722,10149087,Fiuty__sery_i_smazone_ogorki_w_krainie_dobrego_smaku.html
  7. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=524408904687257&set=a.291917621269721
  8. ^ https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/fjutcyrop
  9. ^ a b c d https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-FYGK6XSfwI
  10. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200124232910/https://weganon.pl/2019/05/kujawskie-ruchance-z-fjutem.html
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1zAMQdGZ_E
  12. ^ https://borytucholskie.net/slownik/fiut
  13. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZPq-x18zZc
  14. ^ a b c d https://wyborcza.pl/7,175991,29166029,ruchanki-najlepiej-smakuja-z-fiutem-siedem-najzabawniejszych.html
  15. ^ a b c d https://motywatordietetyczny.pl/2016/04/fiut-czyli-sok-z-burakow-poteguje-ukrwienie-oraz-zmniejsza-ryzyko-raka/
  16. ^ https://www.facebook.com/zdrowaprzystan.sklep/posts/pfbid02jVbTCwzHB6RMBkqqDp1MMimHvr7chiKabqksD7tkFkhk4MhF1KWEMc86duad6Z1Ql
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2BTdpXawEg
  18. ^ https://torun.wyborcza.pl/torun/7,48723,16908047,regionalne-przysmaki-na-liscie-dziedzictwa-kulinarnego.html
  19. ^ a b https://krytykakulinarna.com/ix-festiwal-smaku-gruczno/
  20. ^ a b c https://kociewie24.pl/aktualnosci/59167-fjut-kociewski-wpisany-na-prestizowa-liste-produktow-tradycyjnych
  21. ^ a b https://noizz.pl/jedzenie/kujawskie-ruchance-z-fjutem-przepis-na-racuchy/4xc06xb
  22. ^ https://www.radiopik.pl/2,110908,kolejny-produkt-wpisany-na-liste-wyrobow-regiona
  23. ^ https://www.csw.pl/aktualnosci/dla-turysty/atrakcje/2017/01/12/ruchanki-z-fjutem/
  24. ^ https://pysznosci.pl/s/magda-potulska-z-pstk/ruchanki-z-fjutem-slepe-sledzie-i-bombomy-z-dekla-oto-pomorskie-przysmaki-obok-ktorych-nie-mozna-przejsc-obojetnie,7011232125196864a
  25. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4ToekBdJWA
  26. ^ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-PmljmBOOiE
  27. ^ https://www.tiktok.com/@ewelina_grzesinska/video/7335149702461148449
  28. ^ https://eluxo.pl/polska-wodka/10469-fjutowka-69-wodka-z-fjuta-700-ml-38-.html
  29. ^ https://eluxo.pl/alkohole-z-tiktoka/10628-fjutowka-kawowy-fjut-wodka-z-fjuta-700-ml-38.html
  30. ^ https://www.tiktok.com/@ewelina_grzesinska/video/7406965831197838625?q=fjut%C3%B3wka&t=1752565351314
  31. ^ https://eluxo.pl/alkohole-z-tiktoka/10742-fjutowka-zloty-fjut-wodka-z-fjuta-z-jadalnymi-platkami-zlota-700-ml-38-.html
  32. ^ https://eluxo.pl/alkohole-z-tiktoka/10911-fjutowka-dubajowka-wodka-z-fjuta-700-ml-38-.html
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