Zupa Ogorkowa: Traditional Polish Pickle Soup

Polish pickle soup is similar to pickle-based soups that can be found across the Slavic world. In Russia, for instance, soups like solyanka and rassolnik are popular. Solyanka, however, prides itself on stuffing as much and as many kinds of meat into the soup as possible. Rassolnik is much more similar to Polish pickle soup with the main difference being that rassolnik will almost always contain barley as an ingredient while Polish pickle soup does not. Thus, the Polish version can be confidently said to be one of the simplest variants of the Slavic pickle soup family.

Dlaczego są tak nazwane? (Why is it called that?)

Zupa ogorkowa [pronounced zoopa ogurkova], or cucumber soup, is a traditional and popular Polish soup. “Zupa” means soup in Polish, and “ogorkowa” is the adjectival form of “ogórek,” which means “cucumber.” The soup is named after the soup’s main ingredient: kiszone ogorki, or pickled cucumbers.

Kiedy Polacy jedzą zupę ogorkową? (When do Poles eat zupa ogorokowa?)

Traditional Polish meals always begin with a starter, soup being one of the most common. So, zupa ogorkowa would be served before the main course of the meal.

This is a “leftovers” soup for when hard and pickled goods need to be used up in the house: the broth is traditionally made from left-over meat bones, and the other ingredients — potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, pickled cucumbers and dill — can be stored to last quite some time.

Like many Slavic soups, zupa ogorkowa is usually served with a side of sour cream, kefir, or plain yogurt that can be added to the soup to make it richer and creamer (as is also typical with barszcz czerwony – red borscht).

Jak odpowiednio ugotować zupę ogorkową? (How do you properly cook zupa ogorkowa?)

As long as you follow the directions, this is a really easy and quick soup to cook. If making it with meat bones, make sure to boil the meat bones to create a base broth (I am sure a vegetable broth would work well too). If no old meat bones are to be had, just use some fried bacon or, really, any other type of meat to create a base broth.

Gotujmy! ( Let’s cook!)

See below for a free recipe for paczki. See also the free videos online. If you are interested in cooking from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, and other places in Eurasia, make sure to see see our other resources! You might also be interested in the following specialized cookbooks we’ve enjoyed:

Zupa Ogorkowa

Polish Pickle Soup

Składniki:

Kości z mięsem
Słoik ogórków kiszonych
Dwie duże marchewki ( albo 3-4 małe)
Duża koperka
Jedna cebula
4-5 ząbków czosnku
4-6 średniej wielkości ziemniaków
Sól, pieprz
Dwa liście laurowe
2 łyżki siekaniej natki pietruszki
śmietana

Przygotowanie:

Zagotuj wodę wraz z kośćmi lub skwarkami 20 – 30 minut. Usuń kości. Zetrzyj ogórki kiszone, pokrój ziemniaki, cebulę, czosnek, koperek i natkę pietruszki. Wyciągnij kości z garnka. Dodaj ziemniaki i marchew i liście laurowe, pogotuj pogotuj przez 15 minut, następnie dodaj resztę składników. Dusić przez 10 minut na wolnym ogniu. Podawać z odrobiną śmietany.

Ingredients

Meat bones
Jar of pickled cucumbers
Two big carrots
Lots of dill
One onion
4-6 cloves of garlic
4-6 medium-sized potatoes
Salt, pepper
Two bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Sour cream

Preparation

Boil the meat bones to create a broth. Remove bones. Grate the pickles and chop the potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, dill, and parsley. Add the potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves to the boiling broth and let cook for a few minutes. Then, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Serve with a side of cream.