Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Soups
•
Diet: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Fat, Vegetarian, Low-Calorie, Probiotic

Barszcz Czerwony (Traditional Polish Red Borscht)

A vibrant, sweet-and-sour ruby broth powered by fermented beet juice, fresh root vegetables, and earthy wild mushrooms.
Prep time 20m
Temp 90°C (194°F)
Cook time 1h 30m
Rest time 12h
Total 13h 50m
Yield 6
Per serving:
48 kcal
11g Carbs
1g Protein
0g Fat
By Adam Dworak

Brilliant!

You cooked this today. How did it turn out?

Maybe Later

Ingredients

Success!

Ingredients added to your shopping list.

View Shopping List Continue Browsing

Kitchen Kit

  • Large Stock Pot
  • Fine Mesh Sieve
  • Ladle
  • Chopping Board
  • Chef's Knife
  • Peeler
Pouring red liquid into a pot of vegetables on a wooden table.

Method

  1. Prep your vegetable base. Peel and roughly chop the carrots, parsley root, celeriac, and leek. Chuck them into a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot along with the dried porcini mushrooms, garlic cloves, bay leaves, allspice berries, and black peppercorns.
  2. Pour in the cold water. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring it up to a simmer (this will take about 15-20 minutes). Once the water is smiling and gently bubbling, drop the heat to low, cover partially, and let it blip away for 45 minutes to build a robust, savoury foundation.
  3. Meanwhile, scrub and peel the fresh beetroots. Cut them into thick wedges or rough, rustic chunks.
  4. Tip the fresh beetroot chunks into the simmering vegetable broth. Cook for another 30 minutes until the beets yield slightly to a knife but aren't completely mushy. We are simply extracting their raw colour and sweet earthiness.
  5. Now for the crucial phase. Turn the heat down to the absolute minimum. Pour in the Zakwas z Buraków. From this exact second onward, do not let the pot boil.
  6. Scatter in the dried marjoram and caster sugar. Add exactly half of the salt to the broth and stir gently.
  7. Taste the barszcz. It should be a tightrope walk between earthy, sweet, and tangy. The zakwas carries its own salinity, so only add the remaining salt if the broth needs a final savoury push to balance the sweetness.
  8. Remove the pot from the heat completely. For the ultimate depth of flavour, cover the pot and let it rest in a cool place (or the fridge once cooled) for 12 hours overnight. The colour will deepen into a striking ruby red.
  9. Before serving, gently warm the soup through on a low heat. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, discarding the vegetables and spices (or reserve the mushrooms and carrots for another use). Serve the clear broth piping hot, ideally poured over traditional mushroom dumplings (uszka).
Chef's Note & Storage
Fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently over a low flame. Do not allow it to boil under any circumstances, or it will lose its vibrant colour and turn brown.
00:00
Borsch soup in a decorative bowl with bread and lemon on a tablecloth.

The Ruby King of Polish Soups

Czerwony barszcz is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Polish broths, taking centre stage at the Wigilia (Christmas Eve) table. Deep, vibrant ruby red, inherently earthy, and perfectly balanced between sweet and sharp. The soul of this soup relies on zakwas—a traditional fermented beetroot elixir that provides its signature tang, complexity, and striking colour. This isn’t a quick weeknight throw-together; it’s an exercise in patience and precision. We build a deeply savoury, mushroom-fortified vegetable base first, then coax out the sweet earthiness of fresh beets before finishing with the sour punch of the ferment.

CHEF'S SECRET: The Golden Rule of Barszcz—once the zakwas and fresh beets are in the pot, you must absolutely never let it boil. A rolling boil will destroy the vibrant ruby colour, turning it a muddy, unappetising brown, and it will violently kill the delicate, complex acidity of the ferment. Treat it with respect; keep it at a gentle whisper of a simmer.

❖

Building the Foundation

A true, clear barszcz (Barszcz Czysty) is an extraction. You aren't eating the vegetables or the mushrooms in the final bowl; you are ruthlessly pulling every ounce of flavour from them into the liquid. By starting with cold water and slowly bringing the root vegetables and dried porcini up to a simmer, we ensure maximum flavour transfer. The fresh beets go in later so they retain their colour, and the zakwas is the final conductor that ties the earthy, sweet, and savoury notes together into something completely restorative.

Back to Cookbook
The Cook & Keeper Pairing System

Complete the Meal

A perfectly balanced plate is an art. These hand-selected pairings are designed to elevate your dish and celebrate every ingredient.

Essential Pairings

The companions that define the meal. Choose the foundational elements that best complement your main dish.

Uszka do Barszczu Czerwonego (Wild Mushroom Dumplings)

Uszka do Barszczu Czerwonego (Wild Mushroom Dumplings)
Krokiety (Crispy Stuffed Crepes)

Krokiety (Crispy Stuffed Crepes)
Back to Cookbook

Cook’s Notes & Discussion

Be the first to leave a note on this recipe.

Leave a note or ask a question

Barszcz Czerwony (Traditional Polish Red Borscht) - Cook & Keeper
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Soups
Diet:Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Fat, Vegetarian, Low-Calorie, Probiotic

Barszcz Czerwony (Traditional Polish Red Borscht)

By Adam Dworak

A vibrant, sweet-and-sour ruby broth powered by fermented beet juice, fresh root vegetables, and earthy wild mushrooms.

Prep 20m
Temp 90°C
Cook 1h 30m
Rest 12h
Total 13h 50m
Yield 6
Pouring red liquid into a pot of vegetables on a wooden table.

Kitchen Kit

  • •Large Stock Pot
  • •Fine Mesh Sieve
  • •Ladle
  • •Chopping Board
  • •Chef's Knife
  • •Peeler
Per serving:
48 kcal
11g Carbs
1g Protein
0g Fat

Ingredients

  • 2000 ml Water
  • 1000 g Beetroots
  • 500 ml Zakwas z Buraków (Fermented Beetroot Juice / Beet Kvass)
  • 150 g Carrots
  • 100 g Parsley Root
  • 100 g Celeriac
  • 100 g Leek
  • 15 g Dried Forest Mushrooms
  • 4 pcs Garlic cloves
  • 3 pcs Bay Leaves
  • 5 pcs Allspice Berries
  • 10 pcs Black Peppercorns
  • 5 g Dried Marjoram
  • 15 g Caster Sugar
  • 15 g Sea Salt

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently over a low flame. Do not allow it to boil under any circumstances, or it will lose its vibrant colour and turn brown.
Borsch soup in a decorative bowl with bread and lemon on a tablecloth.
  1. Prep your vegetable base. Peel and roughly chop the carrots, parsley root, celeriac, and leek. Chuck them into a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot along with the dried porcini mushrooms, garlic cloves, bay leaves, allspice berries, and black peppercorns.
  2. Pour in the cold water. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring it up to a simmer (this will take about 15-20 minutes). Once the water is smiling and gently bubbling, drop the heat to low, cover partially, and let it blip away for 45 minutes to build a robust, savoury foundation.
  3. Meanwhile, scrub and peel the fresh beetroots. Cut them into thick wedges or rough, rustic chunks.
  4. Tip the fresh beetroot chunks into the simmering vegetable broth. Cook for another 30 minutes until the beets yield slightly to a knife but aren't completely mushy. We are simply extracting their raw colour and sweet earthiness.
  5. Now for the crucial phase. Turn the heat down to the absolute minimum. Pour in the Zakwas z Buraków. From this exact second onward, do not let the pot boil.
  6. Scatter in the dried marjoram and caster sugar. Add exactly half of the salt to the broth and stir gently.
  7. Taste the barszcz. It should be a tightrope walk between earthy, sweet, and tangy. The zakwas carries its own salinity, so only add the remaining salt if the broth needs a final savoury push to balance the sweetness.
  8. Remove the pot from the heat completely. For the ultimate depth of flavour, cover the pot and let it rest in a cool place (or the fridge once cooled) for 12 hours overnight. The colour will deepen into a striking ruby red.
  9. Before serving, gently warm the soup through on a low heat. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, discarding the vegetables and spices (or reserve the mushrooms and carrots for another use). Serve the clear broth piping hot, ideally poured over traditional mushroom dumplings (uszka).

My Tweaks & Notes

DIGITAL PANTRY

Scan to view the high-res gallery & chef's tips.

Recipe QR

History

The Ruby King of Polish Soups

Czerwony barszcz is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Polish broths, taking centre stage at the Wigilia (Christmas Eve) table. Deep, vibrant ruby red, inherently earthy, and perfectly balanced between sweet and sharp. The soul of this soup relies on zakwas—a traditional fermented beetroot elixir that provides its signature tang, complexity, and striking colour. This isn’t a quick weeknight throw-together; it’s an exercise in patience and precision. We build a deeply savoury, mushroom-fortified vegetable base first, then coax out the sweet earthiness of fresh beets before finishing with the sour punch of the ferment.

CHEF'S SECRET: The Golden Rule of Barszcz—once the zakwas and fresh beets are in the pot, you must absolutely never let it boil. A rolling boil will destroy the vibrant ruby colour, turning it a muddy, unappetising brown, and it will violently kill the delicate, complex acidity of the ferment. Treat it with respect; keep it at a gentle whisper of a simmer.

❖

Building the Foundation

A true, clear barszcz (Barszcz Czysty) is an extraction. You aren't eating the vegetables or the mushrooms in the final bowl; you are ruthlessly pulling every ounce of flavour from them into the liquid. By starting with cold water and slowly bringing the root vegetables and dried porcini up to a simmer, we ensure maximum flavour transfer. The fresh beets go in later so they retain their colour, and the zakwas is the final conductor that ties the earthy, sweet, and savoury notes together into something completely restorative.