Barszcz czerwony (Red beetroot soup) recipe/info

This deep red soup is believed to have originated in what is now Ukraine and there is many varieties throughout Central and Eastern Europe, Borshch being a famous Russian form.

The list below provides links to other varieties
German: borschtsch
East Prussia (where the dish was native): was called bartsch
Lithuanian: barščiai
Russian: борщ borshch
Polish: barszcz
Romanian: borş

The main ingredient of this delicious soup is beetroot, garlic and sometimes potato. As with most soups here it can be eaten as a main meal or strained, to be drunk with krokiet for example.

Barszcz can also contain dumplings called uszka. These dumplings usually have a mushroom filling.

Barszcz ingredients

• Beetroot (about 1kg)


• A couple of litres of meat or vegetable stock (See 'Making a soup stock')


• Garlic cloves (2)
  
• Potato (optional)
  

Recipe

1. Peel and chop beetroot roughly into chunks any size you want. I usually do them the size of large dice.

Use gloves as beetroot stains your hands!

If you want potato, skin and cut it like the beetroot.

2. Add to soup stock (See 'Making a soup stock).

3. Add garlic, crushed.

4. Cover and boil until the beetroot and potato are soft. (Approximately 1 hour depending on size but increasing the length of time increases softness.

5. Add beetroot concentrate, either home-made (sorry must wait for link) or ready made from the Polski sklep (Polish shop). Here is an example of one below. Add about a 1/4 litre and taste.

This is sweet so taste as you go and if it is too sweet for you, lessen the sweetness using lemon juice.

6. Add herbs (My babcja adds marjoram, majeranek in Polish. I have never heard of this herb until I came to Poland. It is from the same family as oregano but sweeter and used a lot in sausage making here and in Germany).

There it is. Extremely simple and quick.

Here I am enjoying strained barszcz after eating krokiet.