What Exactly Is Borscht?

Question

I am not exactly sure what borscht is. From what I have been able to conclude, it is a Russian or Ukrainian form of beef stew, to some degree.

The basic broth seems to be made of boiled down beets. The soup can contain some or all of the following: cabbage, carrots, celery, sweet peas, potatoes, onions, beef and/or pork. It is served with a big dollop of sour cream in the middle of the bowl.

Are there any Russians, Ukrainians, or Eastern Europeans out there who can tell me more specifically what borscht is? Can anyone share their favorite recipe with me for borscht? I would love to try making some.

Answer 1

Borscht is a vegetable soup, usually including beet roots, which give it a strong red color. However other, non-beet varieties exist, such as the tomato paste-based orange borscht and the sorrel-based green borscht.

:)  hope this helped!  =]

Answer 2

You have hit the nail on the head, as one will say it is this and well you know the story, I ama former chef and have made it several ways, I like all of them and the Polish one is a nice one as they use duck stock and more veggies, some are more a broth and others use beef and pork for there's.

I worked in several places were when I made it I had eastern european decendants working in the operation, some could not believe that a chef of Irish background made borsht as good as there mother some said better, I just used fresh ingredients combined my knowledge of all the one made and tried to make a decent product, the Greeks I worked with and for said the same thing about my moussaka, baklava and pastiso

Answer 3

Russian Beetroot soup