Lithuanian cold borscht and the answer to Russian cold soup

With the arrival of warmer weather, simpler recipes come into our diet - we don’t want to stand at the stove when we can go outdoors. Try making Lithuanian cold borscht if you like refreshing, cool dishes. It will appeal to vegetarians, those on a diet, and lovers of different variations of okroshka.

There are two main components in the dish - beets and kefir. The vegetable can be placed in boiled, baked or pickled soup. Borscht is served with aromatic wheat flatbread and traditional Lithuanian potatoes, boiled in their skins.

Lithuanian cold borscht with kefir

This meat-free dietary dish is easy and quick to prepare. Bake a few jacket potatoes with aromatic herbs. Cut the top of the peel and mash it a little. Serve these potatoes with borscht.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium beets;
• 1 cucumber;
• 1 egg;
• 4 tbsp sour cream;
• 0.5 l. kefir;
• dill;
• green onions;
• black pepper;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. Boil the beets and grate.
2. Boil the eggs, cut into cubes.
3. Grate the cucumber along with the peel.
4. Mix all ingredients.
5. Finely chop the greens and add to the dish. Season with sour cream.
6. Mix kefir with a glass of water. Pour in the vegetable mixture.
7. Season and add salt.

Classic recipe

What is required to prepare Lithuanian cold borscht? You need to take two medium-sized beets, two chicken eggs, several fresh cucumbers and 200 milliliters of low-fat sour cream. Season the dish with half a liter of full-fat kefir (2.5%), and add a bunch of dill and two tablespoons of lemon juice. Don't forget about salt and green onions. Serve two boiled potatoes separately. Lithuanian beet soup is prepared in the following order:

1. The beets should be washed thoroughly, add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce it to a minimum, pour in lemon juice and simmer the root vegetable under the lid for about 40-50 minutes. It’s easy to check the readiness: if the beets can be pierced well with a fork, then you can turn off the heat. Remove from the water and cool, then remove the skin and grate on a medium grater. Cold Lithuanian soup depends on the taste of the root vegetable, it should be soft, sweet and juicy. You can mix the boiled product with a small amount of pickled product to give the dish a slight sourness and piquancy.
2. Boil chicken eggs hard (this will take about 10 minutes after the water boils), then cool and peel. It is recommended to grate the whites and mash the yolks with a fork. Add sour cream to the cup, mix everything thoroughly until smooth.
3. Wash and peel fresh cucumbers. Grate on a coarse grater or finely chop into strips. They will add pleasant freshness to beetroot soup, so it is better to use small specimens.
4. Rinse the greens with cold water, dry with a paper towel and finely chop. Add salt and grind with a spoon so that the onion and dill release more juice.
5. Mix sour cream with beets and chicken eggs, as well as other prepared ingredients. Pour the mixture with cold kefir, stir and put in a cool place for half an hour.
6. While the beet soup is cooling, you can prepare the potatoes. It is better to choose small tubers, as they are sweeter and juicier. They must first be washed well and then boiled directly in the peel. Serve the scalding chopped potatoes in a separate bowl, grating them with the skin on a fine grater.

All that remains is to pour the finished dish into portioned plates, place hot potatoes on top and serve. If the beetroot soup turns out to be too thick, then you need to add a little more kefir or cold, clean water. Some people prefer to add some spices or herbs to Lithuanian kefir soup. Experienced chefs advise not to boil potatoes, but to bake them in the oven with dill and a small amount of butter. However, this option turns out to be fattier, but still unusually tasty.

Kholodnik with beets and kefir is a Lithuanian dish, but it is also very popular in other countries. This interesting borscht is a must-try in the summer, when you want to cool down a little but still have a tasty lunch. It is recommended to experiment with beets and types of eggs, as well as spices.

Lithuanian borscht with sausage

If you don't have enough meat in cold soup, add some boiled sausage. It will complement the assorted vegetables and add nutrition to the soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs;
• 200 gr. boiled sausage;
• 2 beets;
• 0.5 l. kefir;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• a bunch of dill and green onions;
• salt, black pepper.

Preparation:

1. Boil the beets and eggs. Grate.
2. Cut the cucumber into small cubes and the sausage into strips.
3. Chop the greens. Mix the ingredients. Season and add salt.
4. Add a glass of water to kefir. Pour over the borscht base.

Options for preparing borscht

Probably, the recipe for Ukrainian borscht is in the cookbook of every self-respecting housewife. It’s not surprising: the recipe is truly universal, for every taste and even color! In addition to the classic red borscht, there are a huge number of ways to prepare this dish. Just look at the famous green borscht – fresh, sour and incredibly tasty.

Borscht is prepared on different bases, mainly, of course, on meat. Of course, it should be taken into account that borscht with pork will be more nutritious than borscht with chicken. For those who, for some reason, have excluded meat from their diet, but do not want to be left without a hearty hot meal for lunch, lean borscht will come to the rescue. Of course, borscht cooked on the stove in a cauldron had its own unique charm, but progress has reached the point that modern housewives can easily cook borscht in a slow cooker.

Have fun cooking and share your wishes with us in the comments! Have you ever cooked cold borscht? How did you like the recipe? If you know special secrets that will help make this dish even tastier, be sure to share with us. Bon appetit!

Lithuanian borscht with meat and mushrooms

This is a freer interpretation of the classic recipe. This option is suitable for those who do not have enough filling in a cold dish.

Ingredients:

• 200 gr. beef;
• 200 gr. champignons;
• 1 onion;
• 1 egg;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 beet;
• 500 ml. kefir;
• green onions;
• black pepper, salt.

What is kholodnik and what is it made from?

In Lithuania, this dish is called shaltibarschai; even stores sell special kits for quickly making soup with beets. The main products are, of course, burgundy root vegetables and full-fat kefir. In addition to them, chicken eggs, fresh cucumbers, a little lemon, herbs and spices are used. Preparing borscht is so simple that anyone can handle it. You don't need anything other than simple ingredients that can be found in any supermarket.

Beetroot for Lithuanian cold borscht is prepared in different ways: boiled, baked in the oven, steamed or pickled. The taste directly depends on this, because it is the main ingredient. In modern cooking, the recipe for a traditional cold dish is often changed. It is possible to use quail eggs, but in the classic version chicken eggs are used.

Summer soup is seasoned with kefir, but to give it a brighter taste, it is recommended to pay attention to beet kvass with the addition of a few tablespoons of lemon juice.

Cooking time: 1 hour including boiling the ingredients. One serving (100 grams) contains only 50 kcal. The root vegetable contains a huge amount of useful microelements and vitamins that are necessary for the human body. You can safely consider the recipe a dietary one and include okroshka with beets on kefir in the diet of young children or pregnant women.

Lithuanian cold beet borscht

Add radishes to the dish - it will add freshness and a new flavor. A whole bouquet of greenery will fit perfectly - you can supplement it with your favorite herbs at your discretion.

Ingredients:

• 5 pieces. radish;
• 1 beet;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• 1 egg;
• 500 ml. kefir;
• 3 tbsp sour cream;
• a bunch of greens - parsley, dill, green onions.

Preparation:

1. Boil the beets and eggs. Rub it.
2. Cut the radishes into thin slices.
3. Connect.
4. Add grated cucumber and chopped herbs. Add some salt. Season with sour cream.
5. Dilute kefir with a glass of water. Pour over the vegetables.

Beetroot for weight loss, benefits and harms

Judging by the ingredients, we can conclude that even if you eat a lot of this soup, it will not affect your figure. At the same time, this dish is quite filling, thanks to kefir, eggs and potatoes.

The benefits of this dish come from beets, especially boiled or baked in the oven. You need to prepare it in advance, cool it, and then grate it on a coarse grater.

Kefir, like any fermented milk product, promotes better digestion, neutralizes toxins and even reduces swelling. In addition, it is invaluable due to its potassium content.

Beets help us cope with problems in the intestines, liver, gall bladder and even heart failure. Well, I think you won’t dispute the benefits of fresh cucumbers, green onions and dill.

It is unlikely to cause any harm; some recipes contain vinegar, so be careful with it. And one more possible consequence, especially for men - the feeling of hunger may visit you earlier than you expected. Therefore, do not forget to add a little carbohydrates - potatoes.

From personal experience I can say that kholodnik is an excellent option for losing weight. After all, there are few calories in it, so you can eat such a yummy without fear of consequences. For those on a diet, you should avoid potatoes and choose kefir with lower fat content.

Lithuanian borscht with pickled beets

The marinade adds piquancy to the dish. You can prepare the dressing in advance and roll it into jars, and then use it as needed.

Ingredients:

• 2 beets;
• 1 cucumber;
• 1 egg;
• 4 tbsp sour cream;
• 500 ml. kefir;
• green onions, dill;
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar;
• ½ lemon.

Preparation:

1. Grate the beets, pour vinegar, squeeze the juice from the lemon. Add some salt. Leave to marinate for 2-3 hours.
2. Boil the egg and chop it finely.
3. Grate the cucumber. Add chopped herbs. Combine all ingredients and season them with sour cream.
4. Dilute kefir with a glass of water. Pour into soup base.

Lithuanian borscht will not only save your time, but will also delight you with its unusual taste. This is a budget option for a light cold soup.

Beet soup with kefir - a simple recipe

We will prepare kholodnik from pickled beets. This year I didn’t have my own supplies; store-bought supplies worked just fine. You can choose kefir of any fat content, but I prefer medium - 2.5%. By the way, in Lithuania they prepare and sell special kefir for this dish, but the usual classic one is also quite good. If you have your own fresh herbs, onions and cucumbers, then that’s great. What takes the most time when preparing this dish is peeling the potatoes and boiling or frying them.

We will need:

• pickled beets - 500 gr. (1 jar)
• kefir - 1 liter
• fresh cucumber - 2-3 pcs.
• green onions - a bunch
• fresh dill
• chicken eggs - 2 - 3 pcs.
• apple juice – 250 ml
• potatoes - 6-7 pcs.
• salt - to taste

Where did cold beetroot come from in Lithuania?

Whether cold beetroot soup is a native Lithuanian dish or not is a subject of fierce debate. Cold beet soup is also prepared in other Eastern European countries. In Poland, for example, it is known as chłodnik (“cold man”), and in Latvia as aukstā zupa. Some historians argue that the Lithuanian origin of beetroot soup is nothing more than a tourist myth, others argue that “cold borscht” - with beet tops, seasoned with crayfish tails, game or fish - was served in the houses of the nobility back in the 17th century, and in a more simplified form , without delicacies, it was on every peasant table.

To confirm the Lithuanian origin of the soup, a legend is often retold: when in 1825 Princess Isabella Czartoryska gathered a “picnic of the peoples” on her estate in the Polish city of Pulawy, the invited Lithuanian artillerymen brought cold borscht. They jokingly explained the unusual temperature of the soup by saying that “they had just arrived and had not yet had time to open fire.”

But no matter how cold beet soup came to Lithuania, it seems that it is not loved so much anywhere else. There is a real cult of beetroot here. It recently won the popular vote as Lithuanians' favorite national dish. All kinds of variations of the soup - with mineral water, capers or horseradish - are discussed in thematic groups and on forums.

The Lithuanian National Tourism Promotion Agency even released a special map, which shows cafes and restaurants in different parts of the country, where you can try not only classic, but also unusual or even extravagant variations of beetroot - with goat cheese, cucumber sorbet or even in the form of a pie.