Many people consider borsch to be Russian and Ukrainian sour soup made from beets. The word barzcz in Polish also means “borsch”, but this dish is slightly different from what is traditionally served in the post-Soviet space. The traditional soup is opaque burgundy and usually includes meat, tomatoes and cabbage, and Polish borscht is rather the main broth, which is translucent, red or white.
Traditional barzcz is sometimes made with kvass or sour yeast. If the soup is red, then kvass is made from fermented beets (in Poland it is known as kwas buraków). If the borsch is white, its base is made from fermented rye flour or rye bread, which is known as churbowy żur or kwas. However, some modern recipes for Polish borsch do not use acid starter. Instead, the desired hue and taste is achieved through lemon juice or vinegar. This soup is served with boiled potatoes or rye bread.
Polish borscht is also often served with pieces of dried mushrooms called ears. This is a traditional dish for a Polish Christmas dinner.
Classic version without sourdough
Below is a recipe with photos of Polish borsch, using only beets and a source of acid, without kvass or sourdough. To prepare this dish, you will need the following components:
- 4 whole beets (fresh) or 2 cups chopped or grated canned;
- 4 glasses of meat, better pork (diced);
- 1 garlic clove (minced);
- 1 tsp Sahara;
- 2 tbsp. l fresh lemon juice (or 1 tbsp. l. red wine vinegar);
- table salt and black pepper.
Additionally:
- boiled potatoes;
- fresh dill (chopped).
How to do it?
The classic recipe for Polish borsch (with photo) is presented below. Begin by preparing the components.
When using fresh beets, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Wrap the vegetables in aluminum foil and bake until cooked, about 30-45 minutes. When the beets are cold enough to be processed, peel them and cut them into cubes or sticks.
In a medium saucepan, bring the meat to a boil. Add chopped beets, garlic, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve Polish borscht hot with boiled potatoes. Garnish with chopped dill before serving.
What is the peculiarity of this dish?
Another difference between Russian and Polish borsch is that the Russian version is often served with sour cream and can be cold, while Polish is only eaten hot and does not season it. However, there is a version of the soup called barzcz zabielany, which is seasoned with cream or sour cream and served cold.
Chicken stock option
This is a real Polish classic beetroot soup. It turns out very tasty due to the abundance of ingredients. So you will need:
- 4-6 beet root crops;
- Half a white onion, in small cubes;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of pork fat (you can replace it with vegetable oil);
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced;
- 1 tbsp. l your favorite aromatic herb (such as thyme);
- 900 ml of chicken stock;
- table salt and pepper to taste.
How to make such a Polish borsch: recipe for cooking
Step-by-step instructions for this delicious soup are provided below.
Rinse the beets and remove the tops. Place the root vegetables in a large pot, add enough water to cover them, and cook until soft. It takes about thirty minutes. Peel the beets with either a knife or a crumpled piece of foil - its outer layer should easily come off. Cut vegetables into cubes up to 1 cm in size, set aside.
In a large saucepan over low heat, fry pork fat and onions until the latter becomes transparent, but not rosy. Add the garlic and spicy greens and cook for another 1-2 minutes, but do not let the garlic turn brown. Add chicken stock and beets, cook for 10 minutes. Try and adjust the spice content.
Christmas soup with "ears"
Usually, when cooking Polish borsch, meat is required, but in this version the dish is made only vegetable. Soup is cooked with pickled beets or kvass from it. To achieve the desired consistency, the beets are fermented for at least three days before use. The traditional way of serving this soup is with mushroom “ears”. To prepare this original dish, you will need:
For beet kvass:
- 2 kg of beets (peeled, washed and chopped);
- 1 slice of rye bread (with a crust).
For beetroot soup:
- 500 grams of beets (peeled, washed and chopped);
- 300 grams of vegetables (traditionally: carrots, parsnips, celery root, leeks);
- 2 tablespoons tea oils;
- 1 garlic clove (mashed with a little salt);
- 1 dried porcini mushroom (pre-soaked + a quarter cup of liquid from it);
- table salt and black pepper to your taste;
- 1 tsp sugar (or to your taste);
- 1 tbsp. l parsley (finely chopped).
How to cook Christmas beetroot soup?
First of all, beet kvass should be prepared. To do this, place 2 kg of beets in a large clay or ceramic bowl. Pour pre-boiled warm water. Add a slice of rye bread with a crust, pushing it under the water. Cover the bowl with gauze and let stand at room temperature for three days.
Then strain through cheesecloth, pour into a glass jar and close it. Keep in the refrigerator. You can eat the remaining beets or throw them away.
When the beet kvass is ready, you can start cooking. Place half a kilogram of peeled and chopped beets and approximately 300 grams of chopped vegetables (such as carrots, parsnips, celery root and leeks) in a large pot.
Add 6 cups of cold water and one teaspoon of butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir, trying to squeeze out more juice from vegetables.
In a separate bowl, combine a clove of garlic, mashed with a little salt, 2 cups of beet kvass, a quarter cup of liquid from soaking porcini mushroom, and sugar, pepper and salt to taste. Pour this mixture into the soup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Before serving, put the remaining spoonful of butter and a tablespoon of chopped parsley in the soup. Pour into bowls and serve with slices of soaked porcini mushroom.
White borsch
White Polish borsch is considered a traditional Easter dish. Its classic version requires the addition of fresh horseradish, but in its absence canned can be dispensed with. The recipe for white Polish borsch requires the following components:
- 1 kg of smoked sausage;
- 2 tbsp. l vegetable oil;
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- 2 leeks, sliced in half rings;
- 1 small yellow onion, in small pieces;
- 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced;
- 2 sprigs of marjoram;
- 1 bay leaf;
- one and a half glasses of sour cream;
- a quarter cup of flour;
- a quarter cup of fresh grated horseradish;
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste;
- a quarter cup of coarsely chopped dill;
- 2 tbsp. l chopped parsley;
- 4 boiled eggs, cut into quarters.
How to cook white polish borsch?
The recipe with the photo looks like this. Boil sausage and 8 glasses of water in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until broth is obtained. It takes about 25 minutes. Pour the liquid and transfer the sausage into a deep bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat. Add oil, garlic, leek and onion, fry until soft for about 10 minutes. Add the sausage cooking liquid, potatoes, marjoram and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove marjoram and bay leaf.
Grind the components of the soup in mashed potatoes in a blender and return them to the pan, bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a separate container, cook sour cream and flour, add half a glass of borsch soup to the mixture. Pour everything into a saucepan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cut the sausage into thin slices, add to the soup along with horseradish, salt and pepper. Complete the dish with dill, parsley and eggs.