Barszcz — Polish Beetroot Soup

About This Recipe

Polish barszcz is one of the most visually stunning soups in the world: a jewel-clear, deeply crimson beetroot broth with an intense, sweet-earthy flavour balanced by wine vinegar and a touch of sugar. Unlike Ukrainian borscht (which is thick with vegetables), Polish barszcz czerwony is a clear consommé — strained until perfectly transparent — served on Christmas Eve as the first course of the Wigilia supper alongside small mushroom-filled dumplings called uszka ('little ears'). The beetroot is never boiled but oven-roasted for maximum flavour before the soup is made. The result is a soup of extraordinary elegance — simple to describe, revelatory to eat.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgraw beetroot(roasted in foil until tender)
• 1.5 litresvegetable or meat stock
• 1 mediumonion(halved and charred)
• 1 smallcarrot(roughly chopped)
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 3 tablespoonsred wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 3 tablespoonslemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the beetroot

   Wrap whole beetroot tightly in foil. Roast at 200°C for 60–75 minutes until completely tender. Cool, peel and grate or slice.

2. 2

   Make the broth

   Bring stock to a simmer with charred onion, carrot and garlic for 20 minutes. Add grated roasted beetroot. Simmer very gently for 15 minutes — do not boil hard, which dulls the colour.

   Never boil barszcz vigorously — it destroys the brilliant red colour, which turns muddy brown.

3. 3

   Season and strain

   Add vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Taste — it should be noticeably sweet-sour. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin until the broth is completely clear and brilliantly red.

4. 4

   Serve

   Serve in cups or deep bowls, very hot, with small mushroom uszka dumplings floating in it.

Variations

• •

  Barszcz z uszkami: with small mushroom-filled dumplings (the Christmas Eve version).

• •

  Cold barszcz with kefir (chłodnik) is a summer version served cold.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days — the colour may darken. Reheat gently.

Frequently Asked Questions