Polish Pickle Soup (Zupa ogórkowa)
Overview
Zupa ogórkowa is a Polish soup made from grated sour fermented cucumbers. Potatoes and carrots are cooked in pork or chicken stock, then the grated pickles and some of their brine are added, giving the soup a fresh, sour flavour. It is finished with sour cream, which turns it pale and creamy, and a generous amount of chopped dill. The soup is tangy and comforting and is one of the most common soups in Polish homes and milk bars. It is a favourite way to use up the large stocks of pickles that Polish households make every summer.
History
Polish cooks have fermented cucumbers in salt brine for centuries, and soups based on them are a natural way to use winter stores. Ogórkowa became a standard dish of home cooking and of the cheap canteens known as bar mleczny. It is related to the Russian rassolnik but is usually made without grains and with more pickles.
Main ingredients
Sour fermented cucumbers, pickle brine, potatoes, carrot, sour cream, dill. The soup is built on pork or chicken stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Potato soups · Cucumber soups · More soups from Poland
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~55 min
Ingredients
- 4 large sour fermented cucumbers, grated, plus 200 ml brine
- 3 potatoes, 1 carrot, diced
- 1.2 l pork or chicken stock
- 150 ml sour cream
- 1 bunch dill
- butter
Allergens: Contains: Milk. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Cook the potatoes and carrot in the stock for 15 minutes.
- Fry the grated cucumbers briefly in butter and add to the pot.
- Add the brine to taste and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Temper the sour cream with broth, stir in and add dill.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
