Borscht has become popular as a traditional Russian dish, but this beet soup originally came from the Ukraine. The recipes for borscht vary depending on the region and cook.
The Main Ingredient
Beets give the soup its color. Although the recipes vary, the rule of thumb is to chop or shred beets and saute them before putting them into the soup. Some add sugar while sauteing.
The Basic Recipe
The basic way to cook borscht includes chopped potatoes and cabbage boiled in pork broth mixed with sauteed beets, onions and carrots. The Russians serve borscht with sour cream.
Variable Ingredients
Many original borscht recipes contain beans, sausage and garlic. Some put mashed potatoes in borscht to get the effect of a spoon standing vertically in a pot.
History of the Recipe
Many Slavic peoples call borscht their national dish. The cossacks cooked the first borscht in 1699 after the Azov invasion. They simply mixed all their available ingredients into a soup.
History of the Name
The name of the soup comes from the Slavic word "bor" or "bur" which means "red," referring to the color of the soup. In Russia and the Ukraine, people still call the main ingredient of the soup "burak" (archaic for beet).
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