You know beet borscht soup but do you know the other one? Yes, there is a Polish White Borscht Soup recipe and it set’s itself apart with a fermented sour starter, just like bread.
For this month’s Eat the World Challenge we are traveling to Poland. This country has been on my travel bucket list forever. Until I get to actually go, I’ll be able to experience Poland through its foods. Lots of traditional Polish dishes are similar to surrounding countries, like Russia and Ukraine. But when I came across this Polish white borscht soup recipe, I knew I found something really different and had to make it.
Polish cuisine
The Polish cuisine is very hardy and similar to neighboring Slavic countries. It is rich in meats and poultry, uses a lot of winter vegetables like potatoes and cabbage, as well as local spices, and herbs. Noodles and grains are common, and there is a heavy hand when it comes to butter, cream, and eggs.
A list of traditional Polish dishes includes bigos, pierogis, kiełbasa, kotlet which are breaded pork loins breaded, gołąbki cabbage rolls, sour cucumber soup, a unique mushroom soup, tomato soup, tripe soup, and these cheese filled crepes called Nalysnyky. You may see a pattern here, soups are a big deal here, including more than one kind of borscht.
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Polish White Borscht Soup recipe
So turns out the word borscht has Yiddish roots and the word was to describe the original ingredient use when the soup was first invented: hogweed! You learned something new today!
The Polish white borscht is described as a sour rye soup as it made of soured rye flour. You basically need to make a starter, like a sourdough starter for bread, before you can make the actual soup. In the Polish language, the soup is called żur or żurek. The word derives from the German word for sour, Sauer.
This is a peasant soup or a soup for the poor. The list of ingredients is very basic. It can be made clear or thickened with the rye starter. To make it heartier it is sometimes served in an edible bowl made of bread or with boiled potatoes.
Zakwas, a rye flour starter
Zakwas is the given name to the special starter one must prepare ahead of time for this soup. It is made of rye flour and water, and for flavor, you can add a bay leaf and a few garlic cloves.
Just mix the start ingredients together and leave to ferment for 3 to 5 days until it is ready. This is where the soup gets most of its unique flavor.
So this soup technically falls under good for you gut fermented food category too! Check out my other fermented recipes:
A Special Easter Soup
This is also a very traditional Easter soup and for this special occasion, one can add slices of sausage and hard-boiled eggs. A little fresh parsley or dill make the finishing touches. I found a most authentic recipe here.
We all know the beet-based borscht soup but I had no idea there was a white version. And I have to say, it is an acquired taste. one I did not acquire on my first or second bowl. What can I say, we can’t like everything. But the whole point of this challenge is to at least try and discover new foods and flavors.
Maybe this Polish white borscht soup recipe will be the bowl of soup you have been craving all along.
Polish White Borscht Soup Recipe | Zurek
Ingredients
- 2 cups rye flour
- 5 cups warm water
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 6 dried wild mushrooms and water soaked for 30 minutes in hot water
- 1-2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon horseradish optional
- plain sausage fresh parsley, hard boiled egg
Instructions
- Make your sour rye starter: boil 5 cups of water to kill bacteria and leave to cool in an 8 cup container. Stir in the rye flour, bay leaf and 3 sliced garlic gloves. Cover with a linen cloth, and leave to ferment for 3 to 5 days in a warm dark location. Stir the starter daily with a clean spoon. When you start noticing an acid smell and sour taste, it is ready.
- In a large soup pot, add the rest of the ingredients (except the plain sausage, fresh parsley, hard boiled egg) and simmer till potatoes are just fork tender. For a clear soup add just the liquid part of the starter, and for a thick soup add the whole starter. Put on the heat again a bot to thicken.
- To serve, ladle some soup in a shallow soup bowl, add 1 hard boiled egg cut in 2 per bowl, add slices of the cooked plain sausage, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Check out all the wonderful Polish dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
Camilla: Pierniczki (Polish Gingerbread Cookies)
Amy: Baked Polish Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
Juli: Zupa Orgorkowa
Evelyne: Polish White Borscht Soup Recipe
Margaret: Polish Honey Cake
Syama: One Pot Bigos – The Hunter’s Stew
Wendy: Piernik (Polish Gingerbread)
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Żurek is my favourite Polish soup 🙂 but I have never done it from scratch. I will try using your recipe as it seems easier than I thought.
Just to make it 100% accurate white borsch is based on wheat flour and żurek on rye flour and they have slightly different taste.
Hi Kinga, thank you for your comment and that extra information. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
This is the traditional borscht my 100% polish grandmother and 100% polish mother made at Easter. They would use vinegar to make it sour for the broth and we would pile kielbasa , ham, and an hard boiled egg into bowl and then pour hot sour broth o ver and top with horseradish. I love this soup brings back so many memories. This had to be eaten with a slice of homemade bread.
Thank you so much Mary for the great compliment. If this brings back memories of a really authentic recipe, it is the best compliment I could get.
Happy New Year Evelyne! This soup looks so tasty, sausage and hard boiled egg…thanks for sharing the recipe…
Have a great rest of the week!
Happy New Year Juliana! It is a very good winter soup for sure lol. Have a great weekend!
Thank you for this recipe, Evelyne! I made this a few days ago for my family but made it vegetarian using vegan sour cream, vegan kielbasa, and farm fresh egg. It was a hit and brought back memories of Easter meals with my Polish grandfather.
Mason, thank you so much for your message. I am so happy you were abe the adapt the recipe for your needs. I am glad everyone enjoyed and that it brought back happy memories 🙂
I never heard of the soup before, or knew that there were different versions of Borscht out there! Looks delicious!
Very few know this soup, I did not until I was on research. It’s certainly nourishing and very hearty.
This looks so hearty and very convenient for the winter. Although I find the starter thing pretty weird we need to try and see.
LOL I like the concept of the starter but I may only leave it for 2 days only if you will try a first time.
Wow what a unique recipe ! I am intrigued by the starter, always thought of garlic and yeast as sworn enemies. It is whole garlic cloves and not grated/minced ones right ? Wonder what I does to the starter – guess I have to make it and find out ! Thank you for such a wonderful find !
Well it is not your usual starter, there is way more liquid. it will not bubble up. So garlic is fine. It’s 3 garlic cloves, sliced. I think it is just for extra pungent flavor. If you try it let me know what you think.
With a few minor modifications, I could dive deep into this soup. DEEP. I mean I love the egg component, and the sausage, yes – sign me up (although it’s not listed in the ingredients). I would throw EXTRA meat in my borscht, if you know what I mean 😉
Throw in all the meat you want in the baby! I honestly think you will not miss out on the starter part (was not good, at least to my taste).
This is a really different soup! Really neat, too — I’ve never used rye flour in soup. And who can resist sausage? Or that egg garnish? Super dish — thanks.
Thanks John so glad you are so curious about the soup. Unique is definitely a way to describe it, taste-wise too lol.
Who knew there were other versions of borscht??? Well, YOU, of course! If sausage is involved, I know it must be delicious!!
It was a surprise to me too Liz lol. The starter gives it a, ahem, unique taste.
This is something new and definitely looks like a dish I would easily love. Thanks for the recipe
My pleasure, hope you try it. Thanks for the visit 🙂
What an amazing and interesting soup! I am really intrigued with that add of real rye starter in the soup…Thumbs up fro you, Evelyne!
Thanks Angie it was a fun and unique recipe to try, and yep make a rye starter for a soup!
Wow, Evelyne, what an unusual soup! I’m not sure how you always manage to find the most interesting and little-known recipes from the countries we visit. I am always so keen to read your posts, and with this one, you really did come up with a winner. I can imagine Polish grandmas making vast pots of this to keep their families fed!
Margaret, you know that is the biggest compliment you can give me lol. I pride myself on digging up the unusual! Thank you so much! I am sure there are vast pots of this from winter to Easter!
Very interesting Evelyne…I always thought Borscht meant Beet but evidently I was wrong. It can be any soup made with vegetables as you taught. Thanks.
I thought it was beet too! I just looked it up, it comes from a Yiddish word originally describing what the soup was originally made with hogweed!
That looks really adventerous! I loved visitng Poland this challenge!
It was indeed a bit more adventurous than I had expected lol. So glad you had fun with Poland!