Know the best borscht recipe!
How to cook delicious borscht. Where did borscht come from?
Where does borscht come from? According to an interesting study by Vadim Garin, the origin of borscht has a very complex and uncertain history, because many countries claim to have invented borscht. Slavic peoples proudly call borscht their national dish, but everyone cooks it differently.
It is hard to believe, but It turns out that the roots of our favorite soup come from… Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. They had entire plantations for growing cabbages and beets there. The ancient Greeks cooked borscht with meat, fish or seafood, dressing them with sour cream or Greek yogurt. The ancient Romans especially loved cabbage soup and borscht, and every family had its own recipe.
Borscht came to Ukraine due to the presence of the Romans in Crimea until the end of the 3rd century AD, who brought their high-yielding varieties of cabbage, beets and other vegetables. According to historians, Ukrainian borscht appeared in 1705 with the appearance of the word “buryak” (the Ukrainian name for beets).
Russians, Polish people, Romanians, Belarusians and Ukrainians all want to appropriate the origin of borscht. But who cares about its origin, as each of them cooks it in its own delicious way – this is the beauty of national cuisine.
Here I will share the recipe for my borscht, which I have been cooking since I was 14 (thanks to my dad), and I think I have brought it to perfection.
I believe that the secret of a good borscht is in thinly sliced vegetables that are added into the broth without frying (except onions and carrots). A couple of tablespoons of brown sugar will give it an unusual taste.
Ingredients you will need for borscht:
– Small cabbage or half of a large one
– Two small fresh beets
– Three small potatoes
– One onion
– Two carrots
– Half a kilo of beef
– Half a kilo of chicken (thigh, wings)
– Bay leaf, salt, pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
– Olive oil for frying vegetables
– Tomato paste to taste (I add Spanish tomate frito)
1) First, we prepare the base of the whole borscht – meat broth. Put the meat in a saucepan, fill with water to cover the meat completely. Cook the broth over low heat for about 1.5 – 2 hours until the beef is soft. Remove the foam with a tablespoon in the first 10 minutes of boiling.
I use a pressure cooker and the cooking time is reduced by 3 times. After 30 minutes the broth is ready.
2) Cut potatoes into cubes.
3) Cut out the stalk from the cabbage and thinly chop it into strips.
4) Finely chop the onion.
5) Peel and grate the carrots
6) Peel and grate the beets.
7) When the broth is about to be ready, fry onions and carrots in olive oil until soft. Finally add some tomato paste. I add ready-made Spanish tomate frito instead.
8) When the chicken is ready (I can’t get it out of the pressure cooker before), take it out and separate meat from the bones.
9) When beef is ready, add cabbage and potatoes in the broth, let it boil for 10 minutes.
10) Add beets and onions with carrots. Add spices and salt. Cook for another 10 minutes.
11) Turn off the stove and let the borscht brew for about 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream or mayonnaise.
Bon appetit!
