When many German Mennonites migrated to Russia during the time of Catherine the Great, they learned to make traditional Russian beet borscht from their Russian neighbors. However, they substituted cabbage for the beets, creating a unique soup with a German flair.
In the late 1800s, the German Russian Mennonites migrated to the United States, bringing their blended culture with them. Cabbage borscht is still served in many Mennonite homes and communities. It’s a warm, comforting meal on a cold day, and served with homemade bread or zwieback (German Mennonite buns), it makes a complete meal containing all four food groups.
Basic Borscht Recipe
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups diced chicken, beef or venison
- 1 head cabbage, cut into small pieces
- 2 medium-sized onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Boil meat in water until thoroughly cooked.
- Skim off froth.
- Add all other ingredients except tomatoes and sour cream.
- Boil for 15 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and heat through.
- Serve with sour cream.
Slow cooked borscht. Put all ingredients except sour cream in a large crock pot and cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours.
Substitute two tablespoons whole pickling spice for dried parsley and dill. Place in spice ball during cooking. Remove before serving. Pickling spice adds a unique tangy taste.
Experiment with your favorite spice combinations. Whole spices in spice balls are preferred.
Substitute two or three fresh tomatoes, cut into cubes, for the canned tomatoes. If you choose this option, you will need to add the tomatoes with the cabbage, onions, and spices.
Cabbage Soup Recipe - An Easy Vegetarian Borscht
- 1 26-ounce can tomato or vegetable juice
- 2 cups water
- 1 small head cabbage, shredded
- 1 onion, diced
- 1-2 tablespoons seasoned salt or other seasoning mix
- ½ cup sour cream
- Place all ingredients except sour cream into a large pot.
- Bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes, until cabbage is tender.
- Serve with sour cream
Original German Borscht Recipe
The following recipe is translated from an old German recipe.
- 25c worth roast beef
- 1 spoon salt
- At 10:30 add the following:
- 10 pepper kernels, 1 leaf parsley, 1 large onion, 1 handful dill or 1 large spoon dill seed tied in a cloth, 3 lobs cabbage cut fine
- At 11:30 add one quart tomatoes
- At the very last add: sour cream, little pepper, little vinegar
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