Okroshka Окрошка is a cold soup that probably originated in the Okroshka region of Russia. Because okroshka its light, refreshing taste, it is popularly served in summer. The soup usually consists of diced vegetables, eggs, and meats in a base of either kvass or okroshka and is often garnished with sour cream.
Best known in Russia, okroshka can be found throughout the former Soviet space. Okroshka most likely derives its name from the Old Church Slavonic «крьшити», which in modern Russian corresponds to the verb « крошить », meaning to crumble, break, or chop into small pieces.
As in many Russian soups and especially salads, chopping the ingredients to a small, uniform consistency is a large part of the art of okroshka preparation. Although okroshka is Russian, its inspiration may have been Turkic in origin.
Browse our blog by categories
Similar soups can be found in many Turkic cultures and Turkic peoples were and still are settled along the Volga region where okroshka is believed to have originated. Как правильно есть окрошку? The most standard vegetables used to make okroshka are fresh cucumbers, okroshka potatoes, radishes, and various greens such as scallions and dill. However, beef, veal, роза щегун other types of sausages can also be used. Okroshka, less common regional variations include using cooked beets in the recipe found in Ukraine and the Baltics or adding walnuts associated with Bulgaria.
Both traditional bases — kvass and kefir — are fermented foods. This means that they have a small alcohol content — as all fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, or traditional root beer do. Some also say that the probiotics have good effects on your hair, skin, and energy levels.
It is a common and easy summer lunch often had at a dacha, where one might make it using vegetables taken straight from the garden. It can also be found in restaurants as a seasonal dish. Certain окрошка variations might be eaten at certain times on the Orthodox calendar. Okroshka is always served cold. Beyond that, there are no unique standards of presentation.
To eat okroshka, you only need a spoon and a hungry stomach. It is a very healthy, oil-free, and inexpensive dish that can be eaten as a starter or a meal. Classic okroshka is dominated by boiled eggs and potatoes as well as diced bologna and cucumbers.
Preparing okroshka is very easy and can be done in half an hour. The longest element will be preparing the boiled potatoes. Boil them until soft, but not until they are mushy. They should still have enough firmness to be cut into cubes without falling apart. One recipe below for kefir okroshka suggests simply grating the potatoes and leaving them raw, for extra crunch. You can use okroshka or grated potatoes for either recipe, depending on your personal taste.
The debate on whether kvas or kefir is an intense one, with Russians usually being solidly in one camp or the other. Kvas appears to be the older and likely more traditional choice for Russian culture, while recipes using kefir are generally associated more with Central Asian, Eastern European, and Caucasian cultures. Some Russians point to the old Russian belief that mixing dairy products and cucumbers a common ingredient in okroshka is bad for the digestive system.
However, both variants of the okroshka can be easily found across Russia. It will be up to you to decide which camp you fall in. If one chooses to use kvas, care must be taken in which type to use. Most store-bought kvas is too sweet for producing good okroshka. Traditional kvas is, on the contrary, rather sour, a hallmark of the painstaking brewing process.
There are also several different types of traditional kvas, including even a very concentrated version used in past centuries for skin treatments. White kvas is simpler, less processed, okroshka less sweet, having undergone a much less rigorous heating process than красный квасand making it the best of the kvas family to use for making an okroshka. In Belarus, a version of kvas is made using beets and is popular for the local okroshka there. For more on okroshka and how to make your own!
Kefir okroshka often has sparkling water added. Borjomia Georgian mineral water that is naturally high in salt and other minerals is the favored water to use for this. If you use Borjomi, you might need to reduce your added salt by about half. The added minerals and strong carbonation will also add an extra kick to the soup. This will give the soup a slightly bolder flavor. Thus, while okroshka may be a simple dish, it by no means offers only simple flavors. It allows for a surprising amount of creativity.
The dish, best served, will deliver a salty-tangy flavor, and mixes the smoothness of the kefir or kvass with the crunch of fresh vegetables. Lastly, always remember that adding of the kefir or kvas is actually the okroshka step in making the okroshka! The texture of the dry ingredients would be irrevocably changed to a soggy mass were one to add them to the okroshka rather than okroshka other way around.
It is interesting to note that all forms of okroshka have ingredients similar to those of Olivier Salad салат «Оливье». For more on that traditional Russian salad, click here. See below for several free recipes for okroshka. See also the free videos below. If you are interested in cuisines from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other places in Eurasia, make sure to see all our free recipes! Картофель и яйца отварить до готовности, очистить и нарезать кубиком.
Russian food in Ho Chi Minh - Okroshka
Нарезать огурцы, редис жмите сюда колбасу. Boil the potatoes and eggs, then peel and cut them okroshka cubes. After that, chop the cucumbers, radishes and sausage. Яйца отварить вкрутую, остудить, очистить. Вымыть редис, огурцы, зелень. Огурцы очистить от кожицы. Картофель очистить от кожуры. Картофель, огурцы, редис, яйца натереть на терке для моркови по-корейски.
Okroshka Summer Soup
Овощи получаются в виде длинной тонкой соломки. Лук и укроп мелко нарезать. Выложить в кастрюлю все подготовленные продукты, залить кефирной смесью, перемешать.
Поставить в холодильник. Hard boil, cool, and peel the eggs. Then wash the radishes, cucumbers, and greens. Peel the cucumbers.
Okroshka Recipe: Russian Summer Soup - Окрошка | Summer soup, Recipes, Summer recipes
Thinly slice the smoked sausage with an electric slicer and further slice them into thin strips. Finely chop the onion and dill. Put all the prepared ingredients in a saucepan, pour okroshka the kefir mixture, and stir.
Put in the refrigerator. A very good basic video on preparing okroshka. It takes you through step-by-step in very clear, deliberate Russian. Sure makes us want to try some! In this video, a Russian grandmother, with slow, clear instructions, shows you how to make okroshka with kefir. In this video, detailed steps on how to make okroshka with kvass are explained.
Vladimir Zhirinovskii, the okroshka больше на странице of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, makes the okroshka batch of okroshka on record! He also shares an interesting secret to his okroshka recipe. Notice that he mentions the importance of the type and quality of квас used. Petersburg indeclared by activists there and celebrated with rallies that demanded more rights.
It did not become an official state holiday and day off, however, until In that year, March 8th was chosen as it marked the day when, inokroshka again marched […]. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate okroshka.
This means okroshka, at zero cost to you, we will earn an affiliate commission if okroshka […]. SRAS has developed the test below to help you gauge your Russian language skills!
You can also sign up to study Russian online or […]. Tanya Tanyarattinan is a third-year Thai international student at the University of Denver, double majoring in International Studies and Economics with minors in Russian and Japanese. She is currently studying Society, Business, and the Arts in St. With an interest in pursuing a career in politics, she travels to see how the world works from different perspectives. Her next stop is Berlin where she will complete her study abroad year.
In her free time, she likes to play games and try new food. View all posts by: Tanya Tanyarattinan.
She previously spent two summers studying abroad in St. Petersburg and one in Prauge.