Ukrainian Borscht Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Wikipedia
Citizens, borscht is a soup of Ukrainian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European cuisines, including those of Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient.
Borscht (Ukrainian борщ and Yiddish באָרשט) has entered the English vernacular thanks to the early 20th century wave of Ashkenazic (Eastern European and Russian Jews) who brought the soup with them. Interesting side note – the original Ukrainian word ends in “shch”, not “sht”. The “t” was substituted when the word was borrowed into Yiddish and then into American English from the Yiddish.
Since this soup entered the U.S. through the Jewish immigration wave, I thought I would try to create a version of the recipe that would have been enjoyed by the Jews of that period, who obviously kept kosher.
As noted with great historical depth on finedininglovers.com:
As an American living in Europe, I’m often asked if there’s anything I miss from back home. The first thing that comes to mind is breakfast. If there’s one breakfasting establishment I fantasize about, it’s the legendary New York establishment, Barney Greengrass. There I don’t order the diner fare, but bialys with cream cheese and smoked sturgeon and glasses of cold Russian borscht, a beet soup that is a staple of Russian, and by extension Russian-Jewish immigrant, cuisine.
Part of the family of sour soups, borscht is originally Ukrainian, but features in numerous Baltic and northern Slavic cultures. There are various jewel-colored renditions of borscht, the beetroot-centered crimson version being the best-known. You can find little-used recipes for a white borscht, also called sour rye soup (with a base of rye flour) and green borscht, packed with sorrel leaves. The consistent theme is that the soup has a sour taste, and that is can be eaten warm or cold.
These sour soups have an ancient predecessor that was consumed, historians believe, by early Slavic tribes. It was a foraged soup, prepared with pickled hogweed (also called cow parsnip or eltrot), which thrives in the wild, moist fields of the Baltic states and the expanses of Russia.
The word borscht, is Yiddish, but it derives from the proto-Slavic word for the hogweed plant, bursci. This plant would have been a regular, vitamin-packed part of the diet of roving Slavic tribes. To preserve it, it was pickled, and then thrown into cauldrons of boiling water and animal bones and whatever other edibles they had to hand. This is a satisfyingly ancient, pragmatic history. So many dishes in this series were daintily designed by a 19th century French chef, and it feels resonant to eat something that has been eaten by our ancestors for a millennium, if not more.
Since observant Jews don’t eat pork, I stripped all the porcine elements out of the standard Ukrainian recipe and replaced the pork and bacon with beef and duck breast instead. There is a LOT of meat in this soup, since I prefer it that way. You can certainly go back to the original recipe and use pork and bacon if you are so inclined.
The original recipe would have used bacon fat – I use duck fat mixed with salt, pepper and garlic in the true Ukrainian fashion (they would use pork fat) before it goes into the recipe to simulate bacon fat. Ukrainians would garnish the soup with a dollop of sour cream – observant Jews would not, since they cannot mix milk and meat in the same meal. I’ve thus made the sour cream optional.
Ukrainians would add some kvass, a fermented beverage commonly made from black or regular rye bread, to add sourness to the dish. I have substituted vinegar, as kvass is very hard to find unless you live in or near an Eastern European immigrant community (or make your own).
However you make it, Jewish-style or in the original porked out version, this recipe will impress and it is delicious – give it a try and see for yourselves, Citizens! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
Ingredients
- 8 cups beef stock, made from lots of good meat and at least two sawed marrow bones
- ½ medium head green cabbage, finely shredded
- 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large red beet, shredded
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salted duck fat smashed with some garlic, kosher salt and ground black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 parsley root (known as Petrushka in Russian) or ½ parsnip, sliced
- 6 peppercorns
- 3 allspice berries
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 whole head garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons duck fat smashed with some garlic, kosher salt and ground black peppercorns
- 1 pound shredded chuck beef
- ½ pound magret (breast fillet) of duck, sliced and shredded
- ¼ teaspoon liquid hickory smoke (or more to taste)(Optional, TFD addition)
- fresh parsley, chopped
- fresh dill, chopped
- optional garnish: sour cream
Instructions
- Heat the stock in a large soup pot, add cabbage and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix the beets, vinegar, duck fat, sugar, and tomatoes in a saucepan and cook gently, covered, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Then, in another small pan, heat the sunflower oil, mix in the onion, carrot, and parsley root (or parsnip) and braise.
- When the cabbage and potatoes are finished simmering, add the beet mixture, the onion mixture, the peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves--and cook another 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped garlic, the remaining duck fat mix, the tomato paste, the shredded beef and duck meat and the chopped parsley. Then turn the heat down to a very low simmer, lightly cover the pot, and simmer very slowly for about 4½ hours. Turn off the heat, let cool, and allow to ripen for about 12-18 hours in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, reheat gently, then add the optional liquid smoke, stir, and ladle into bowls. Top each with an optional dollop of sour cream (obviously not if you are keeping kosher), garnish with more chopped parsley and dill, and serve with a slice of dark rye bread.
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та ви шо….. без слів.
Я згоден – немає слів
Ukrainian food-
Не має бути справжній Український Борщ бурячного кольору!! Червоний Колір дає – Томат, а буряк. Буряк повинен бути біло-червоним та вивареним до білого кольору, як і юшка з нього. Колір Червоному Борщу дає не Буряк, а Томат (або томатна паста). !!! Це надзвичайно важливо! Інше – переспіви Борщу!
Та прям 😀
Curly Courland Ну, що ж! Прям!! Ну, а далі – пишайтеся!! 😉 )))
Dmitro Kobuzan Що iли украiнцi поки Колумб iм томатiв не притарабанив? 😀 На родине мамы моей кумы (Волынь) в борщ помидоры не кладут. И мелитопольцы меня угощали борщом вообще бело-розового цвета.
Curly Courland Ви можете їсти Борщ колумба, або недолугих мелитопольців (доречі, в мене тітка в Мелітополі, та вміє варити Борщ, ще який!! 😉 )) Та й хоч з Волині! Хочете справжній Український Борщ – готуйте по-людськи. БОРЩ НЕ ПОВИНЕН БУТИ БУРЯЧНОГО КОЛЬОРУ! КОЛІР ДАЄ ТОМАТ. Все інше – московський борщььь с перепевами. 😉 ))
Dmitro Kobuzan Давайте уже и я напишу большими буквами: ЦВЕТ ДАЕТ СВЕКЛА! Просто так, из вредности 🙂
Та пишите хоть фиолетовыми буками! 🙂 Вы НИКОГДА НЕ ЕЛИ НАСТОЯЩЕГО УКРАИНСКОГО БОРЩА!! 😉 Те помои, что даёт свекла, называется – СВЕКОЛЬНИК. 😉 А в Борщ готовят из Бурка, добряче вываренного до БЕЛОГО цвета и, желательно, не красного, а с БЕЛЫМИ ПРОЖИЛКАМИ! 😉 Смачного Вам у москальскому борщу!! 😀 )))
Dmitro Kobuzan 😀
Ну развлекитесь тогда на досуге, у вас неплохо получается, там есть нам чем поработать: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2254044
умнО!!! 😀 )))))) Та жрите хоть ЩИ (что яйца полощи)! БОРЩ не умеешь готовить – не позорься – не пиши, сонечко!! )))))))))))))
Curly Courland Та кос! )) Жри и щи, хоть яйца полощи! 😉 )))
Дякую за те, що пишете Борщ з великої Букви! :)))
В Борщ бросается не свекла а буряк и желательно светлый при котором картошка не стаёт крашеной.
Vladimir Mogilenets І добре виварити той буряк до білого кольору! І тільки так! Все інше – москальскі переспіви! 🙂
Serhiy Vladimirowitch Borshch Вам пощастило!!!!! 🙂 І без буряка! 🙂 Чи з Буряком? ..))
Dmitro Kobuzan Хоч це i по-єврейськи – як мені стало відомо, але сам варю з натертим відварним буряком. Хоча в дитинстві мати, росіянка між іншим, завжди варила з крупно порізаним буряком. Досі ще смак цього делікатесу:) А от наш американський професор казав, що головне у борщі м”ясо. Ну так він у Тернополі брав капусту, різав на дві частини і так кидав у те, що він називав борщем. Збоченець:)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXIWco_LSE Гурт Борщ – ex ВВ
То вже не Український борщ……..Так тільки росіяни варять…….
Дмитро Кобузан От ти впертий….
Alexander Kominarets Та хоч полову, хоч щі.
Дмитро Кобузан справжнього українського борщу не існує. З тої простої причини, що існують Справжні Українські Борщі.:) У множині, а не в однині. Це все одно, що стверджувати, що існує лише один канонічний візерунок на вишиванці.:) В Україні тільки основних рецептів борщу з десяток і жоден з них не є більш чи менш справжнім за інші. Буковинський борщ, наприклад, саме бурякового кольору, а томатів в деяких рецептах взагалі нема (і не дивно, бо томати взагалі-то з’явилися в українській кухні не раніше 18-го сторіччя). Просто кожний вважає, що справжній – це як рідна бабця в селі готувала.:) Але справа в тому, що рідні бабці в різних селах готували по-різному.
Бурякового кольору – саме москальске варево під назвою, “Український Борщ”, хлопчисько. 😉
Nice attempt 🙂 You don’t need to use liquid smoke because we don’t add smoked bacon to borshch here in Ukraine, just raw or salted pork fat (or bacon, whatever). Some of us use old yellow salted pork fat smashed with garlic, salt and ground peppercorn, just add it in the end. You also shouldn’t use kvass because we sometimes use beet kvass instead of bread kvass for borshch (bread kvass should be add to okroshka – summer cold soup, not to borshch). We also don’t use butter, only pork fat and sunflower oil.
Thank you for the tips and comments!!! 🙂
call me strange but I like it with more sugar.
Cheeta Beachwood there are no judgments in TFD Nation from me. 🙂
no one should use liquid smoke in anything, recenty study shows its carcinogenic.
No. that’s fake borsch on the picture. never call that soup as Borsch, it even looks different I believe taste should not be right too.
It’s not borsch – it’s tomatoe juice
Well, as “The Food Dictator” has learned, the issues of an “authentic” borsch recipe are quite subjective to region and opinion. Some borsch is red, some is green depending on the ingredients used and available. Every babushka (grandmother) has her own “authentic” village recipe given to her by her mother, and they are indeed always delicious. Ukrainians nationwide will argue what is “authentic” and what is not. It is not unlike the Hungarians arguing over what is an “authentic” recipe for goulash. In the case of goulash, I have at least 5 “authentic” recipes which are all equally delicious in their own rights and the same is true with borsch. Equally so with the summer soup of the much beloved and celebrated okroshka. (My father-in-law from Sumi makes the best I have ever had). I’ve had so-called borsch from Moscow and didn’t find it particularly tasty. I’ve had Polish borsch which was actually quite good, but not “authentic,” of course. For me as a foreigner, I think REAL borsch, “authentic” borsch, can only be made by a babushka…whether she is from the great steeps of the central region, the mountains of Carpathia, the Volyan region of the west, or the eastern regions of Sumi. It is all good and the reason it is is because it is made by hand with love and care…THOSE ARE the key recipe ingredients.
Yes, Eric. But it’s seems like I should become old and have grandsons (babushka!) in order my borshch could become authentic. But the recipe will stay the same 🙂
Curly, that wasn’t my point. I am sure your recipe is most “authentic” for the region of your origin or the recipe’s origin. While there is no “national Ukrainian borsch recipe” (that I know of) regardless of region and which babushka makes it, there are common ingredients and procedures for making it. The same is true for Hungarian goulash and Italian pizza and bolognese…well, except in Italy they actually have laws which specify how those two national iconic dishes can be made in restaurants and called “authentic.” The Italians are pretty fanatical, too about their national dishes. The French are, as well about the “authentic” recipe for Bouillabaisse. Yet, even that incredible seafood stew varies within Marseilles, where it originated, according to the chef’s choice of fish and seafood, and the amount of saffron he/she uses. Every region in Ukraine has an “authentic” recipe, and they are…authentic. You yourself said you don’t use smoked bacon but prefer salo embedded with garlic and peppercorns. My mother-in-laws “authentic” recipe does not use that, but has small stewed bits of pork, sometimes. My wife’s is even better and she makes it just slightly different..Ukrainians seem to get all indignant and defensive about stuff like “an authentic recipe for borsch” without really thinking about what that means. Sure, someone who makes a “pizza” and puts ruccola on top and sour cream is freaking crazy to call it pizza, or ham and pineapple. A lot of so-called “authentic” borsch recipes are just “borsch style” soup….don’t worry, the Russians can’t make it, and only the Polish seem to have one that is “close,” but not authentic, even if a Polish babushka made it.
Eric R. Gilliatt Oh, Eric, I understand that, you shouldn’t repeat for me, thank you 🙂 I just tried to clarify that recipes could change. My grandmother (and I in my youth) use that pink beetroot and even white beetroot, but now it’s difficult to buy some of them and we use salad beetroot, which is purple (and I glad, I like it). But it’s a bit strange to read when someone write about The Only One Authentic Recipe Of Borshch 😀 BTW, never heard about smoked bacon in the borshch. Smoked taste is not for borshch. It’s home food, not picnic food or hunters food.
Sjoe dit lyk lekker
украинский борщ должен быть красным от помидор или томата , буряк для него должен быть с прожилками , чтобы не перебить цвет !
а еще вкуснее с морсом..то матным.разумеется..кисленький..ууу.как вкусно.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/119618455295417/
Цвет – второе
Главное вкус)
Откуда на Украине взялись томаты,т.е помидоры? Или до томатов были только русские щи?