Seasoning for borscht: what spices are added to borscht?

What spices are suitable?

Spices for borscht should be chosen wisely - it’s so easy to overdo it with seasonings, or throw in an unnecessary ingredient! You don't want to spoil the finished soup, do you? Our goal is to make the dish even better, tastier, more attractive, which is why it’s worth understanding in detail what seasonings are added to borscht.

Bay leaf

Who hasn't heard about laurel? The leaves are added to many soups – you can’t do without them when preparing borscht.

It has a strong tart odor, improves the taste of the dish;
It is enough to put one or two leaves so as not to overdo it;
The bay leaf is added a few minutes before the end of cooking;
After removing the pan from the heat, it is better to remove the leaves - otherwise they may give unnecessary bitterness.

Garlic

It is recommended to add a few cloves of garlic to the borscht seasoning - do not ignore this seasoning, even if you do not like spiciness.

Garlic will add a spicy note and help stimulate appetite;
Place a few finely chopped cloves in the pan or add a teaspoon of dried ground spice;
Add garlic a few minutes before the end of cooking;
If you like it spicy, place the clove directly on the plate.

Also recommended: Turkey spices

Greenery

A small handful of greens is enough for one pan - frozen or fresh, dried or ground. You should carefully choose spices for borscht with beets; it is better to proceed from the type of meat:

Beef broth will be complemented by parsley or cilantro;
Lamb soup is combined with cilantro and basil;
Dill and fennel complement pork soup perfectly;
Chicken and turkey go great with dill, parsley and basil.

Pepper

Pepper is an excellent seasoning for borscht with beets! However, you should be very careful to avoid unnecessary heat.

Add ground black pepper - it will give aroma without heat;
If you want to add red pepper, opt for paprika. It will give sweetness and rich aroma.

Secret ingredients

There are a few little secrets! If you don’t know what to add to the borscht seasoning, try unexpected combinations of products. Don't be surprised, you will certainly be satisfied with the result.

Celery root will give a refreshing aroma and subtle fresh taste;
Coriander (mash in a mortar) – spicy bitterness, rich sweet smell;
Citric acid helps maintain color brightness;
Rosemary and oregano provide a slight sweetness and a zesty, fresh flavor.

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Now let's move on to preparing seasoning for borscht - thrifty housewives know how important it is to make preparations in advance!

List of seasonings for borscht

Seasoning	Description	Application
Black pepper	The fruits of a perennial plant of the pepper family. The taste is burning, the aroma is pronounced, fragrant. It has an immunomodulatory, cleansing, rejuvenating, hematopoietic effect. Promotes weight loss.	If the goal is to flavor the broth, then the peas are added to it at the same time as the vegetables after skimming off the foam. If you need a slight spiciness, then coarsely ground pepper can be added to the frying of carrots and onions. Pepper not only adds heat to the dish, but also increases shelf life.
Bay leaf	Bay tree leaves are rich in essential and tannin substances. The taste is bitter-resinous, the aroma is strong. It has antifungal, antimicrobial, astringent, immunomodulatory effects. Reduces blood pressure. Read also: Secrets of successful curds from frozen kefir	Add 5 minutes before the end. You need to put it in moderation, otherwise the food will acquire a bitter taste. 1-2 leaves per 3 liters of borscht is enough.
Coriander	Seeds of cilantro, a herbaceous annual plant of the Apiaceae family. The taste is spicy with a slight bitterness, the aroma is sweetish. Increases appetite, calms the nervous system, and has an anticonvulsant effect.	You can add it at different stages: in peas at the stage of flavoring the broth, in ground form in fried vegetables.
Celery root	Dried and crushed, a very aromatic root vegetable of the Apiaceae family. The taste is spicy, sweetish, with a pleasant bitterness, pronounced aroma. Improves overall well-being, slows down aging, fights chronic fatigue, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the walls of blood vessels.	Add at the end of cooking the broth to flavor it.
Dried dill	Green herbaceous annual plant of the Apiaceae family. The taste and smell are refreshing, with notes of cumin and fennel. Normalizes metabolism and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, increases appetite, strengthens the immune system, has an antibacterial effect, and relieves cough.	Place before removing borscht from heat.
Dried parsley	The greenery of a herbaceous biennial plant of the Apiaceae family. The taste is a little sharp, sweetish, with a slight bitterness. The aroma is pronounced, herbal. Stabilizes blood sugar levels, relieves swelling, improves appetite, removes toxins, has a choleretic and anti-inflammatory effect.	Add to borscht at the end, before turning off and infusing.
Dried garlic	Dried and crushed lobed bulbs of a perennial plant of the onion subfamily. The taste is bright, sweetish-spicy, strong aroma. Prevents the formation of blood clots and cholesterol plaques, has a positive effect on potency in men, and on estrogen levels in women, and has an antiseptic effect.	Place at the end along with the greens.
Dried carrots	Dried and crushed biennial root vegetable, a subspecies of wild carrot. The taste is sweet, there is no pronounced aroma. Improves vision, increases immunity and overall tone, accelerates cell renewal, calms the nervous system.	Can be added simultaneously with beetroot dressing or at the stage of flavoring the broth.
Dried onions	Dried and crushed bulbs of a perennial plant of the onion subfamily. The taste is sweetish, with an unobtrusive pungency. The aroma is pleasant, there is no specific smell characteristic of fresh onions. It has anti-cold, expectorant and diuretic effects, strengthens the immune system, normalizes blood pressure, and prevents diseases associated with vitamin C deficiency.	Add five minutes before the end of cooking along with the roasted beets.

In addition to dry seasonings for borscht, you can also prepare a thick vegetable dressing consisting of stewed beets, carrots and onions. Find out how to do this in our other article.

Refueling for the winter

Want to save time and effort? We recommend making the dressing in advance and saving it to add to the broth later! And we have already prepared several recipes - read how to prepare seasoning for borscht for the winter, which will preserve the smell and taste of fresh vegetables!

The first recipe is classic

We wash and peel two kilograms of tomatoes, half a kilogram of sweet peppers, a kilogram of beets, carrots and onions;
Grate the beets and carrots on a coarse grater, cut the onion into half rings;
Chop the tomatoes into small pieces or grind them in a blender;
Mix all vegetables in a saucepan;
Fill with dressing - it consists of 200 ml of six percent vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar, or 70%, but dilute a small amount with 200 ml of water in the required concentration) and vegetable oil;
Don't forget to add salt to taste and granulated sugar;
Place the container on the fire and simmer for about half an hour;
Pour the finished mixture into small jars - they can be sterilized with boiling water and screw tightly.

Recipe two - green

Wash and chop three kilograms of sorrel;
Chop the washed dill and parsley - half a kilogram is enough;
Grind the greens with salt until the juice is released;
Place the mixture in jars and sterilize them over a fire.

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We strongly recommend adding fresh garlic, mustard or horseradish to taste before eating the soup!

Rules for storing seasonings

In order for spices to retain their aroma and beneficial properties, they must be stored properly.

What to give up

We told you what seasonings are suitable for borscht - finally, it’s worth mentioning the ingredients that are best forgotten. There are a few spices that wouldn't go amiss in this delicious soup!

Ginger;
Cinnamon;
Carnation;
Khmeli-suneli;
Any ready-made Asian dressings.

These seasonings have a pronounced, rich taste that can spoil the finished dish. If you do not want a spicy, inedible substance, avoid using the seasonings described above.

Seaming process

After adding spices and oil to the vegetables, boil them for about 5 minutes and place them in sterilized jars. After this, they are rolled up with tin lids and left at room temperature until completely cooled.

It is advisable to store such a workpiece in a cool place (for example, in a cellar). Although there are also cooks who prefer to freeze borscht seasoning. In this case, grated beets and carrots, as well as chopped onions, should first be fried in vegetable oil (separately, 3-6 minutes each). Next, you need to combine the ingredients in a saucepan with chopped tomatoes. It is not necessary to add sugar, table vinegar and salt to them. The products should be thoroughly mixed and distributed into plastic containers. If desired, you can additionally add chopped herbs and crushed garlic to this seasoning.

Bonus recipe

As a bonus, get a recipe for borscht seasoning that will save any soup! If you can’t find other spices or find the soup not rich enough, try the following combination:

Grind a few cloves of garlic with a sprig of dill and parsley in a mortar and pestle;
Mix with finely chopped piece of lard;
Put it in the pan!

The meal is ready!

We told you what spices to add to borscht - choose the appropriate option to make the soup unique! Believe me, your family and friends will be surprised by the rich taste and homely aroma. We recommend serving with donuts or other delicious bread!

How to use?

Seasoning for borscht is a universal preparation that can be used not only for preparing red soup, but also for creating other dishes. For example, some people add it to stews, while others use it as a regular sauce. In any case, when using this workpiece, it should be remembered that salt has already been added to it, and it has already been subjected to heat treatment.

By the way, some housewives freeze the finished seasoning rather than storing it in the refrigerator. Also, chopped garlic, quince, grated apple, etc. are often added to it. This makes the preparation even tastier and more aromatic.

Let's sum it up

Now you know several ways to prepare tasty and aromatic seasoning for borscht at home. It should be noted that the recipes presented are far from the only ones. By the way, you can compose them yourself, according to your taste and discretion. For example, some housewives additionally add finely shredded cabbage, citric acid, various spices, herbs, garlic, etc. to the seasoning. Such components help produce a more aromatic and rich preparation, which makes red soup tasty and nutritious.

Using the presented recipes in practice, you will no longer have to stand at the stove for a long time, making borscht in the classic way. The seasoning, specially prepared for this soup, is prepared in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is boil the meat product and open a jar of vegetables.

Beetroot for borscht

Winter alyssettes are often stringy, dry, and dull in taste. Therefore, many housewives prefer to prepare them in the fall, supplementing imported greenhouse vegetables purchased at the nearest supermarket with beetroot seasoning for borscht. The preparation is simple to the point of primitiveness: root vegetables are boiled, cooled, peeled and cut into strips. It is used to fill sterilized half-liter jars (disposable volume, very convenient for use). To pour a glass of water, take a spoonful of 9 percent vinegar and sugar, a teaspoon of salt and three cloves - this amount of components should be enough for two kilos of beets. The hot marinade is poured into jars, they are immediately sealed and kept cool.

By the way, you can treat yourself to this alyssum in the form of caviar: just fry it in vegetable oil and gobble it up with gusto.