Solyanka (ะกะพะปัะฝะบะฐ), is made from pickled vegetables, meat, and sour cream. It is considered traditionally Russian but is today enjoyed across the former Soviet space and Eastern Bloc, and particularly in East Germany.
Having been served for hundreds of years in several countries, solyankaย has gone through a lot of modifications and now has many different recipes. The three most common types are meat, fish, and mushroom, which are the main ingredients in their respective recipes.
Why Itโs Called โSolyankaโ
(ะะพัะตะผั ัะฐะบ ะฝะฐะทัะฒะฐะตััั?)
Solyanka was first mentioned in the Russian historical record in the 15th century. The origin of its name is contested. One popular belief is that it evolved from the word โัะตะปัะฝะบะฐโ, which means โvillagerโ or โpeasantโ (from the word โัะตะปะพโ, meaning โvillageโ). That is, this dish was literally โะฟะธัะฐ ัะตะปัะฝะธะฝะฐโ (food of the peasant) or โัะตะปัะฝัะบะฐั ะฟะพั ะปัะฑะบะฐโ (peasant soup).
Eventually, however, the name โsolyankaโ became much more often applied to the dish, perhaps as it sounds like โัะพะปั,โ or โsalt.โ This makes sense as the dishesโ main ingredients are preserved vegetables and thus the soup is quite salty.
How and When to Eat Solyanka
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะตััั ัะพะปัะฝะบั?)
Solyanka, made from preserved vegetables, is most associated with the winter season in Russia when, historically, fresh vegetables were almost impossible to come by. Given that it is a hearty comfort food that is always served hot, it is a perfect dish for lunch or dinner in the cold season.
Solyanka can be eaten as a starter or a main dish. It is, like most Russian soups, typically eaten with sour cream and dill stirred into it and with dark bread on the side.
This popular dish can be commonly found in Russian restaurants and even frozen in Russian supermarkets for those who do not wish to go through the trouble of actually preparing the soup themselves.
Lastly, with the amount of salt and fat in solyanka, it is often eaten as a hangover cure.
How to Prepare Solyanka
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะณะพัะพะฒะธัั ัะพะปัะฝะบั?)
With countless variations of the recipe spread over the wide expanse of Eurasia, there is no one correct way to prepare solyanka. Regardless of the recipe you use, however, you should be able to make solyankaย within an hour, with the longest step being to cook the meat and/or boil the potatoes.
Many chefs argue that the more different types of meat that go into solyanka, the better. Thus, the soupโs recipe can often reflect what happened to be in the refrigerator at the time and can use up leftover chicken, beef, pork, and any type of sausage.
While โัะพะปัะฝะบะฐ ะผััะฝะฐัโ (meat solyanka) is the most common and considered the most traditional, โัะพะปัะฝะบะฐ ััะฑะฝะฐัโ (fish solyanka), and โัะพะปัะฝะบะฐ ะณัะธะฑะฝะฐัโ (mushroom solyanka) also exist. Fish and mushroom variants are popular especially during fasting days on the Orthodox calendar, when observant Russians essentially become pescatarians or vegetarians. Mushroom solyankaย can easily be made as a vegan soup as well.
While tradition is a big part of solyanka, it is not central to enjoying the meal. After all, modern recipes typically call for lemon juice, lemon slices, and olives. These would have been exotic and fantastically expensive ingredients in 15th century Russia, and definitely not part of โะฟะธัะฐ ัะตะปัะฝะธะฝะฐโ (food of the peasant). So, feel free to experiment and find your own preferences!
Letโs Cook!
(ะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะธะผ!)
See below for a free recipe for solyanka. 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! You might also be interested in the following specialized cookbooks weโve enjoyed:
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| ะกะพะปัะฝะบะฐ ะผััะฝะฐั | Meat Solyanka | |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั:
ย ะัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต: 1. ะัะปะพะถะธัะต ะณะพะฒัะดะธะฝั ะฒ ะบะฐััััะปั ั ั ะพะปะพะดะฝะพะน ะฒะพะดะพะน. ะะพะฒะตะดะธัะต ะฒะพะดั ะดะพ ะบะธะฟะตะฝะธั ะธ ัะฝะธะผะธัะต ะฟะตะฝะบั. ะะฐะบัะพะนัะต ะบะฐััััะปั ะบัััะบะพะน ะธ ะดะฐะนัะต ะผััั ัะฒะฐัะธัััั. 2. ะะฐัะตะถััะต ะปัะบ ะบััะฟะฝัะผะธ ะบััะพัะบะฐะผะธ, ะฐ ะบะพะปะฑะฐัั ะธ ะพะณัััั โ ะฝะตะฑะพะปััะพะน ัะพะปะพะผะบะพะน. ะ ะฐะทะพะณัะตะนัะต ะฒ ัะบะพะฒะพัะพะดะต ะผะฐัะปะพ ะธ ะพะฑะถะฐัััะต ะปัะบ ะดะพ ะทะพะปะพัะธััะพะณะพ ัะฒะตัะฐ. 3.ะัะพัััะต ะบะพะปะฑะฐัั ะธ ะณะพัะพะฒััะต, ะฟะพะผะตัะธะฒะฐั, ะฟะฐัั ะผะธะฝัั. ะะพะฑะฐะฒััะต ะพะณัััั ะธ ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐะนัะต. 4. ะ ัะบะพะฒะพัะพะดั ะฒัะปะพะถะธัะต ัะพะผะฐัะฝัั ะฟะฐััั, ะฒะปะตะนัะต ะฝะตะผะฝะพะณะพ ะฒะพะดั ะธ ั ะพัะพัะตะฝัะบะพ ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐะนัะต. ะะฐะบัะพะนัะต ะบัััะบะพะน ะธ ัััะธัะต ะฟัะธะผะตัะฝะพ 15 ะผะธะฝัั. 5. ะะฐัะตะถััะต ะฒะฐััะฝะพะต ะผััะพ ัะฐะบะพะน ะถะต ัะพะปะพะผะบะพะน, ะบะฐะบ ะธ ะพััะฐะปัะฝัะต ะธะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั. ะะฒะตะดะธัะต ะฒ ะณะพัััะธะน ะฑัะปัะพะฝ ะฝะฐัะตะทะฐะฝะฝะพะต ะผััะพ, ะทะฐะถะฐัะบั, ะพะปะธะฒะบะธ ะธ ะบััะถะพัะบะธ ัะพัะธัะพะบ. ะะปะตะนัะต ัะฐััะพะป, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐะนัะต ะธ ะฟะพัะพะปะธัะต. 6. ะะพะฒะตะดะธัะต ััะฟ ะดะพ ะบะธะฟะตะฝะธั. ะะตัะตะด ะฟะพะดะฐัะตะน ะฟะพััะฟััะต ัะพะปัะฝะบั ะทะตะปะตะฝัั, ะดะพะฑะฐะฒััะต ัะผะตัะฐะฝั ะธ ะดะพะปัะบั ะปะธะผะพะฝะฐ. |
Ingredients:
ย Preparation: 1. Put the beef in a pan of cold water. Boil it, removing the foam as it comes. Cover the pan and let the meat cook. 2. Slice the onion into large pieces, and the sausage and pickles into small strips. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion until golden brown. 3. Toss the sausage in. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the pickles and keep stirring. 4. Add the tomato paste to the pan. Pour in a little water and mix thoroughly. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. 5. Slice the cooked meat into the same size of strips as the rest of the ingredients. Put the sliced meat, fried vegetables, olives and slices of Vienna sausage in the hot broth. Pour in the brine, stir, and season with salt. 6. Boil the soup. Before serving, sprinkle the solyanka with herbs. Add sour cream and a slice of lemon. |
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| ะกะพะปัะฝะบะฐ ะณัะธะฑะฝะฐั | Mushroom Solyanka | |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั:
ย ะัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต: 1. Oัะฒะฐัะธัั ะณัะธะฑั, ะพะฑะถะฐัะธัั ะฝะฐ ะผะฐัะปะต 5 ะผะธะฝัั. 2. ะัะบ ะพัะธััะธัั, ะฝะฐัะธะฝะบะพะฒะฐัั. ะ ะฐะทะพะณัะตัั ะฒ ะบะฐััััะปะต ะผะฐัะปะพ ะธ ะพะฑะถะฐัะธัั ะปัะบ ะดะพ ะฟัะพะทัะฐัะฝะพััะธ. 3. ะะพัะบะพะฒั ะพัะธััะธัั ะธ ะฝะฐัะตัะตัั ะฝะฐ ะบััะฟะฝะพะน ัะตัะบะต. ะะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะบ ะปัะบั ะธ ะพะฑะถะฐัะธัั ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 1 ะผะธะฝััั. 4. ะะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ัะพะผะฐัะฝัั ะฟะฐััั ะธ ะผัะบั ะบ ะปัะบั ั ะผะพัะบะพะฒัั, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั, ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะณัะธะฑะฝะพะน ะพัะฒะฐั. ะะฐัะธัั 5 ะผะธะฝัั. 5. ะะณัััั ะฟะพัะตะทะฐัั ะธ ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะบ ะพะฒะพัะฐะผ, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั ะธ ัััะธัั ะตัั 5 ะผะธะฝัั. 6. ะะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะณัะธะฑั ะบ ะพะฒะพัะฐะผ, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั. ะะฐะปะธะฒะฐะตะผ ะฒะพะดะพะน, ัะพะปะธะผ, ะฟะตััะธะผ, ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะปัะตะผ ะปะฐะฒัะพะฒัะน ะปะธัั ะธ ะฒะฐัะธะผ ัะพะปัะฝะบั ะณัะธะฑะฝัั 7 ะผะธะฝัั. 7. ะขะตะฟะตัั ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะปัะตะผ ะผะฐัะปะธะฝั ะธ ัะพะผะฐัั ัะตััะธ, ะฒะฐัะธะผ ะตัั 5 ะผะธะฝัั. 8. ะะตัะตะด ะฟะพะดะฐัะตะน ัะพะปัะฝะบั ะณัะธะฑะฝัั ะฟะพััะฟะฐัั ะทะตะปะตะฝัั. ะะพะถะฝะพ ะฟะพะปะพะถะธัั ะฒ ัะฐัะตะปะบั ะปะพะผัะธะบ ะปะธะผะพะฝะฐ. |
Ingredients:
ย Preparation: 1. Boil the mushrooms. Fry in oil for five minutes. 2. Peel and chop the onion. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until translucent. 3. Peel the carrot and grate on a coarse grater. Add to the onion and fry for one minute. 4. Add the tomato paste and flour to the onions and carrots. Mix, and add the mushroom broth. Boil for five minutes. 5. Cut the pickles and add them to the vegetables. Stir and simmer for another five minutes. 6. Add the mushrooms to the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Add water, salt, and pepper. Add the bay leaf and boil the mushroom solyanka for seven minutes. 7. Now add the olives and cherry tomatoes. Boil for another five minutes. 8. Before serving, sprinkle the mushroom solyanka with herbs. You can put a slice of lemon in the dish. |
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Our Favorite Solyanka Videos
This video is created by a Russian YouTube channel called โะัะตะณะดะฐ ะะบััะฝะพ!โ or โAlways Tasty!โ They post a new recipe of a dish from around the world every day. In this easy-to-follow video, they show how to make meat solyanka step by step.
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Mikhail Vegan is a Russian YouTuber whose channel features all kinds of vegan dishes from the Russian culinary world. In this video, he carefully goes over the details from the ingredients to his personal tricks to cook a vegetarian/vegan solyanka.
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