Soups
hot beet soup
regional living tradition
Beets, cabbage, potatoes, broth, sour cream, vinegar, hot barščiai
Hot barščiai, Beet soup
What are barščiai?
Barščiai are a hot beet soup spread across a wide region. In Lithuania they adapted to local ingredients: potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, sour cream, and fermented vegetables.
They are not the same as šaltibarščiai. Šaltibarščiai are based on kefir and eaten cold, while barščiai are cooked as a hot soup.
Beets in Lithuanian Cooking
Beets in Lithuania are not only a modern garden crop: the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia states that they appear in mid-16th-century manor inventories and in the price list of the Third Statute of Lithuania of 1588.
This helps explain why beet soups became established in Lithuanian cuisine as a native dish, not only something borrowed from neighboring cuisines. Barščiai keep their regional shared character, but the Lithuanian version often relies on potatoes, sour cream, cabbage, and the acidity of fermented products. According to the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia's overview of Lithuanian foods, until the mid-20th century in Dzūkija, southern Žemaitija, and Užnemunė, a meat soup made from fermented cabbage or beets was even eaten for breakfast and saved for lunch.
Beet Color
Acid helps keep beet color bright. That is why beets are often stewed with vinegar or lemon, and in some places fermented beets are used.
Long, vigorous boiling can dull the color.
Variants
Barščiai can be made with meat, mushrooms, cabbage, or without them. Fasting versions with dried mushrooms fit the winter table especially well.
Sour cream is usually added to the bowl, not to the whole pot.
Recipe
How are barščiai made?
For hot barščiai, acid helps preserve the beet color. It may come from vinegar, lemon, fermented beets, or tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 beets
- 3 potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- A handful of shredded cabbage, optional
- 1.5 l broth
- 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- Salt, pepper, bay leaf
- Sour cream for serving
Method
- Grate the beets or cut them into thin strips. Briefly stew them with the acid.
- Cook the potatoes, carrot, onion, and cabbage in the broth.
- Add the beets, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the flavors combine.
- Serve with sour cream and herbs.
Notes
If you use fermented beets, vinegar may not be needed.
