Okroshka

Okroshka
Okroshka made with kefir
TypeSoup
Place of originKyivan Rus
Region or stateEastern Europe and North Asia
Serving temperatureCold
Main ingredientsRaw vegetables (cucumbers, spring onions), radishes, boiled potatoes, eggs, meat (beef, veal, sausages, or ham), kvass, sour cream
Similar dishesDoghramaj

Okróshka (окро́шка Ukrainian pronunciation: [oˈkroʂkə]) is a type of cold soup based on vegetables. The origin of okroshka is not precisely known, as there are no definitive historical records. Some researchers associate the dish's emergence with the Christianization of Kievan Rus. According to chronicles, after the baptism of the population, Prince Volodymyr ordered food, mead, and kvass to be distributed to the people.[1] Kvass subsequently became widespread among the general population and, combined with ingredients such as black bread and green onions, likely contributed to the development of cold soups such as okroshka.[2]

The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (like cucumbers, radishes and spring onions), boiled potatoes, eggs, cooked meat such as beef, veal, sausages or ham and kvass, which is a low-alcoholic (1.5% or less) beverage made from fermented black or rye bread. Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream (smetana). Later versions that first appeared in Soviet times use light or diluted kefir, whey, ayran, or carbonated water instead of kvass.

The ingredients are diced and then mixed with kvass just before eating; the ratio of chopped food to kvass is similar to that of cereal to milk. This allows the vegetables to retain their texture. For that same reason, even though the ingredients are similar to those in a Russian salad, the taste of okroshka is quite different from that of the salad.

Okroshka is mostly served in summer because the soup combines the refreshing taste of kvass and the lightness of a salad. Salt and sugar can be added according to taste. In the recipes with carbonated water, there is one more addition to the ingredients of okroshka: freshly squeezed lemon juice; this is to replace the flavor in the absence of kvass.

Okroshka is always served cold. Sometimes ice cubes are added to portions as they are served to keep the soup cold in hot weather.

  • Okroshka
  • Okroshka made with kefir
  • Classic okroshka with beef. Nearby are plates of smetana, a special dressing (made from pounding yolks, Russian mustard, horse radish, green onion, and salt), and a cup of kvass.
  • Okroshka with the dressing added
  • Kvass is added to the mixture.
  • The soup is mixed and smetana is added.
  • Okroshka mixed with kefir, kvass and whey

See also

References

  1. ^ Cross, Samuel Hazzard (translator). The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text. Medieval Academy of America, 1953.
  2. ^ Pokhlyobkin, William. National Cuisines of Our Peoples (in Russian). [1]

Further reading

  • Solley, P. (2004). An Exaltation of Soups: The Soul-Satisfying Story of Soup, as Told in More Than 100 Recipes. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1400050352.
  • Mobile Reference (ed.) (2007). Travel Saint Petersburg, Russia: City Guide, Phrasebook, and Maps. Boston: Sound Tells, LLC. ISBN 9781605010212.
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