Cold Borsch - Hot and Cold Borscht - Cold Borscht

Cold Borscht

Borscht is served cold in many different culinary traditions, including Lithuanian (šaltibarščiai), Belarusian, Polish (Chłodnik) and Ukrainian (kholodnyk, literally 'cooler') and Russian (swekolnik). Other cooked soups are served cold in various parts of Europe, such as Hungarian cold tomato and cucumber soups, and meggyleves.

In these countries it is called:

• Latvian: Aukstā zupa
• Lithuanian: Šaltibarščiai
• Polish: Chłodnik or Chłodnik litewski
• Belarusian: Chaładnik / Хaлaднiк "khaladnik"
• Ukrainian: Холодник kholodnyk

Its preparation starts with young beets being chopped and boiled, together with their leaves when available. After cooling down, sour cream, soured milk, kefir, or yoghurt may be added, depending on regional preferences. Typically, raw chopped vegetables, such as radishes or cucumbers, are added and the soup is garnished and flavored with dill or parsley. Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are often added. The soup has a rich pink color which varies in intensity depending on the ratio of beets to dairy ingredients.