Title: Polish Holiday Borscht > Fermented Beet Stock
Categories: Poland Holiday Vegetable Soup Pickle
Yield: 1 Servings

1

Text file

If grannie was originally from Poland or some other Eastern European country the secret of her Holiday borscht may have been a fermented beet stock.

Each year at this time my (Polish-born) wife makes her special borscht for the Christmas-eve dinner. Traditionally this style of borscht is made only at Christmas. It's really simple; quarter a few small or medium sized beets (washed but not peeled) and use enough of them to cover the bottom of a sterilized stone crock. Add a few cloves of garlic and salt to taste. Pour in two or three litres of tepid/lukewarm (preboiled) water. Cover the mouth of the crock with cheesecloth. Let the concoction ferment in a coolish place for a week to ten days.

One has to keep a close watch on the process after the fermentation starts, if you let it go too far the result is most unappetizing. Go by the smell - it should be sort of like kosher dill pickles (the process is the same). Once you're satisfied that it is time, strain the stock into a pot and then boil it to stop the fermentation. From then on you use it as the base for your borscht, adding whatever spices and ingredients you would normally use. My wife usually adds lots of black pepper and prepares tiny wild mushroom dumplings for the soup.

Jim Thomas jthomas@mcmail.mcmaster.ca

From: Michael Loo Date: 22 Nov 96 National Cooking Echo Ä

previous

next