Hetman-Style Cossack Borscht Recipe

Hetman-style Cossack borscht

Long before restaurants and cookbooks, Cossack cooking was born of necessity and ingenuity: hearty meals made over an open fire. This Hetman-style borscht is one of the oldest Ukrainian versions, made with beet kvass instead of tomato paste.

Ingredients

Serves 5–6: 2 L beet kvass, 500 g bone-in pork, 2 beets, 1 carrot, 1 onion, oil, bay leaf, garlic, fresh herbs.

Method

Boil the pork to make a broth. Cook the vegetables in the kvass and simmer for 15–20 minutes with the bay leaf. In the traditional version, sour cream and garlic are used instead of tomato paste.

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Enjoyed this taste of Ukrainian heritage? Explore our art series inspired by the same history: Ukraine in Brief.

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