Overview
Borscht is the soup that defines a region. From Ukraine through Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, every Eastern European kitchen makes a slightly different version, and every grandmother claims hers is the real one. The soup is recognised by UNESCO as Ukrainian intangible cultural heritage, and the Ukrainian version, the original, builds slowly: beef stock simmered for an hour, then a base of caramelised onions and shredded beetroot, then cabbage, potatoes, and tomato added in stages so each vegetable finishes at the right texture. The deep magenta colour comes entirely from the beetroot and is the visual signature of the dish. Served piping hot with a generous spoonful of sour cream that swirls into pink, and a scatter of fresh dill that hits the steam and releases its scent the moment it lands on the bowl. Eaten with dark rye bread on the side. Winter food at its most beautiful.
Ingredients
- 600g beef shin or chuck, on the bone
- 4 large Crysp Beetroots, peeled and grated
- 2 large Crysp Brown Onions, diced
- 3 Crysp Carrots, grated
- 4 Crysp Small Potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 small white cabbage, shredded
- 200g Crysp Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 30g Crysp Dill, finely chopped
- 30g Crysp Parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Crysp Peashoots, to garnish
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp white vinegar (or apple cider)
- 2 tbsp white vinegar (or apple cider)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp olive oil or butter
- Salt & black pepper
- Sour cream, to serve
- Dark rye bread, to serve
Instructions
Build the Beef Stock
Place the beef in a large heavy pot, cover with 2.5 litres cold water. Bring to a slow boil, skim the foam carefully (this keeps the broth clear). Add bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 tsp salt. Drop the heat, cover partially, simmer 1 hour 15 minutes until the beef is fork-tender. Lift the beef out, set aside. Strain the broth and return to the pot. You should have about 2 litres of clear, golden broth.
The Beetroot Sauté (the Borscht Secret)
In a wide heavy pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium. Add the diced onion, cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the grated carrot, cook 3 minutes more. Now add the grated beetroot. Stir, cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the beetroot deepens in colour and softens. Add the tomato paste, the white vinegar, and the sugar. Stir hard for 2 minutes, the vinegar locks in the deep purple colour and prevents the beetroot from fading to pink in the broth. This step is what separates real borscht from amateur borscht.
Cook the Vegetables in the Broth
Bring the strained beef broth back to a simmer. Add the cubed potatoes, cook 8 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage, cook 5 minutes more. The cabbage should soften but still hold a slight bite, not collapse into mush.
Combine Everything
Tip the beetroot sauté into the broth. Halve the cherry tomatoes, add them. Add the crushed garlic. Stir gently. Shred the cooked beef into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot. Simmer 10 minutes more for all the flavours to marry. Taste, adjust salt and pepper. The broth should be deeply savoury, sweet from the beetroot, lifted by the vinegar's sharp acid. Add another splash of vinegar if it tastes flat.
Rest Before Serving
Take the pot off the heat. Cover, leave 10 minutes. This rest is essential, every Ukrainian grandmother insists on it. The flavours deepen, the colour intensifies, the broth thickens slightly. Borscht eaten immediately is good, borscht eaten 10 minutes later is great, borscht eaten the next day is the best soup you've ever had.
Serve Hot With Sour Cream and Dill
Ladle the borscht into deep bowls. Add a generous spoonful of sour cream in the centre of each bowl, the white against the deep magenta is the visual signature of the dish. Scatter Crysp Dill and Crysp Parsley generously across. Pile a small mound of Crysp Peashoots in the centre. Serve immediately with thick slices of dark rye bread on the side. The diner stirs the sour cream into the soup at the table, watching the magenta turn pink.
Did You Know
The Tradition
Borscht's earliest recorded form dates to the Kievan Rus period in the 9th century, originally made from a fermented hogweed plant called borshchevik (the source of the soup's name). Beetroot replaced hogweed by the 16th century, and the modern version was codified across Ukraine and Russia by the 18th. UNESCO declared Ukrainian borscht as intangible cultural heritage in 2022, recognising the soup's specific cultural and culinary significance to Ukrainian identity. Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian versions all coexist, but the Ukrainian version, with its long-simmered beef stock, sauteed beetroot base, and cabbage finish, is the definitive original. Modern Ukrainian restaurants in Kyiv and Lviv serve borscht the way grandmothers have made it for two centuries: hot, magenta, spoonful of sour cream, generous dill.
Tip
The vinegar-sugar combination in the beetroot sauté is non-negotiable. The vinegar locks in the deep purple colour by keeping the beetroot acidic, the sugar balances the sourness. Skip either one and you end up with a faded pink soup. The right amount: 2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 tablespoon sugar per 4 beetroots. Trust the recipe, taste at the end, you can always add more if needed.
