Simple Borscht Recipe (Instant Pot or Stove Top!) (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between beet soup and borscht? ›

Put simply, barszcz is a Polish name for a beetroot soup that is a shared staple in the whole of the Eastern Europe and the word borscht is an anglicised version of the Yiddish word for it. There are many many versions of this bright pink soup as it's eaten throughout the year.

Borscht is typically made with red meat. For a heart-healthy version, choose ground turkey, double the beans or use tofu. Tomatoes, parsnips and potatoes add potassium, which can help lower blood pressure.

How healthy is borscht? This healthy borscht soup is packed with nutrients from the potatoes and beets. Potatoes are a good source of fiber, protein, and vitamin C, while beets are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, like folate and potassium.

The important part of making borscht is getting the sweet-to-sour balance just right. From beets, carrots and leeks, you get sweet (sometimes with an additional spoonful of sugar).

It's standard for Ukrainian cooks to use pork in their Borscht and top it off with sour cream, whereas Russian cooks are more likely to use beef. Furthermore, Ukrainians will offer buns with their bortsch, and Russians will offer a native bread known as “black bread.”

The practice dates back centuries and is passed on within families, with children participating in the preparation. An expression of hospitality, Ukrainian borscht unites people of all ages, genders and backgrounds at the table.

Make at least one of your daily vegetable servings a dark leafy green like arugula, cabbage, kale or spinach for potentially greater blood pressure benefits. A serving of leafy greens is 1 cup of raw greens or ½ cup cooked greens.

Retain the good-for-you nutrients in beets by roasting them or sautéing them instead. Or lightly steam them for just a few minutes, suggests Doyle.

Borscht is healthy but should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

Borscht is one of many examples of a dish that took on Jewish significance because of immigration. The tart and tangy, ruby-hued, beet-based soup is considered the national dish of Ukraine, and has been enjoyed by non-Jewish and Jewish Ukrainians alike for generations.

Which country has the best borscht? ›

With time, it evolved into a diverse array of tart soups, among which the Ukrainian beet-based red borscht has become the most popular.

You can serve borscht with sides like Pumpernickel or rye bread, garlic toast, meat, salads, dairy, pickled foods, pierogi, grains, potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs seasoned with paprika or dill, gluten-free options, and accompany it with fermented Slavic beverages and Santa Carolina ...

Borscht is one of the most well-known Ukrainian meals – a traditional, hearty soup with multiple layers of ingredients held together by a savory beet broth. To make borsht the traditional way, it takes hours to simmer all the ingredients properly.

Red borscht is the most popular borscht in Ukraine, it is prepared from cabbage, potatoes (from the second half of the 19th century), carrots, onions, parsley, dill, and beets. Green borscht is a sorrel or spring borscht. It is cooked in the spring, with young greens.

The English spelling borscht comes from Yiddish באָרשט (borsht), as the dish was first popularized in North America by Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe.

Plenty of nutritional benefits

If you're looking for something that's low in calories but high in nutrients, look no further than the humble beet. Adding beets into your salads, soups and other daily meals can be a good way to enhance a balanced diet.

ˈbȯ(ə)rsh(t) : a beet soup often served with sour cream. Etymology. from Yiddish borsht and Ukrainian and Russian borshch "beet soup"