# Borsch and kissel



## Miguelillo 87

Hi everibody, I have a question I think I find one of the fovourites dishes of a Russian friend of mine.

And I want to know if I'm right in my trandlation.

Borscht.- A kind of Beet soup?

Kissel.- I think it's a kind of bevarage but I'm not sure, it'a as juice,as tea or as what?
Thank you all.


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## übermönch

It's borshch, without the t... at least in Russian and German. There is beet, meat, tomato sauce, potatos, cabbage and all kinds of tasty stuff, but it's not really soup, it's borshch. Your laddle must stand in a borshch, in contrary to a soup. There are also different kinds of it, but it's anyway very tasty. It's meant to be eaten with black bread, garlic and... don't know what it's called in English, but it's Schmand in German!


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## papillon

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Borscht.- A kind of Beet soup?


Yes. Beets are what give it it's characteristic color. The classical borsch will usually include meat, lots of cabbage, tomatoes + whatever else suits your fancy. Best served with some sour cream, a large piece of rye bread and garlic. The result looks like this.



Miguelillo 87 said:


> Kissel.- I think it's a kind of bevarage but I'm not sure, it'a as juice,as tea or as what?


Kissel is a very old Russian beverage. In modern incarnation, it's basically a fruit or berry desert made thick by the addition of starch. It's hot and thick, good for those cold winter nights. Although you can drink it, it is often served in a plate and eaten with a spoon.

In many childrens' fairytale stories, there a paradise-like place where "rivers of milk run thorugh the kissel flats".


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## papillon

übermönch said:


> ... and... don't know what it's called in English, but it's Schmand in German!


Is that сало? Mmmm, delicious.
Salo doesn't really translate into English...Kind of a bacon/lard slice of pig, but just the white fat part cured in salt.

Serves as national currency of my homeland.


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## Etcetera

I'd like to add that Borsch is considered to be a dish of Ukrainian quisine.


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## Thomas1

This was something I intended to ask some time ago but I didn't for I was afraid it might've sounded silly. Since you're bringing it up now... 




papillon said:


> Yes. Beets are what give it it's characteristic color. The classical borsch will usually include meat, lots of cabbage, tomatoes + whatever else suits your fancy. Best served with some sour cream, a large piece of rye bread and garlic. The result looks like this.


 


Etcetera said:


> I'd like to add that Borsch is considered to be a dish of Ukrainian quisine.


In my country we have, if I remember well, three kinds of borshch:

red borshch-barszcz czerwony(click on the picture);
white borshch-barszcz biały (also known for some as żur(ek)(in German));
Ukrainian borshch-barszcz ukraiński.
From what each of you wrote here I conclude that Russian borshch is mostly close to the third one I listed. The first one is the same as the third one but it is only made of beetroot (some serve it with some kind of ravioli/pierogis and add sour cream). The second one is totally different cup of tea, there are so many different ways of preparing it that I don't even want to write which one is the most popular nowadays (probably the instant ones ) but for sure it is white and often served with eggs, soussage and bread. 
I'd be interested to learn if you also have different kinds of borshch in Russia (or any other Slavic country if the forer@s are reading my post and could give their comments). 




> Kissel is a very old Russian beverage. In modern incarnation, it's basically a fruit or berry desert made thick by the addition of starch. It's hot and thick, good for those cold winter nights. Although you can drink it, it is often served in a plate and eaten with a spoon.
> 
> In many childrens' fairytale stories, there a paradise-like place where "rivers of milk run thorugh the kissel flats".


I would describe it as something between gelly and juice in consistency (I would never know it contains starch). Here where I live it is served either hot or cold, some add finely shreded fruits. In Polish tales there are rivers of milk and honey but they speared us the kissel fields.  

Tom


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## Miguelillo 87

Etcetera said:


> I'd like to add that Borsch is considered to be a dish of Ukrainian quisine.


But it's also popular in Russia Right?


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## Crescent

Yes, very much so!   But it was originally invented by the Ukrainians.


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## Setwale_Charm

Borsch is popular but I think Kissel is less so.
 Starches are a staple of Latin American cuisine.


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## Brian P

Etcetera said:


> I'd like to add that Borsch is considered to be a dish of Ukrainian quisine cuisine.


 
It's a French word, Etcetera, spelled CUISINE.


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## Mirynka

Thomas1 said:


> I'd be interested to learn if you also have different kinds of borshch in Russia (or any other Slavic country if the forer@s are reading my post and could give their comments).
> 
> Tom


 
Tom, as far as I know in Ukraine we have only one type of borshch. My first time when I tried the white borshch was during my stay in Poland. I've never seen it in Ukraine before.  

The only difference is the way of cooking or the ingredients of the borshch, which may vary in different households. Still it stays red


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## papillon

Thomas1 said:


> In my country we have, if I remember well, three kinds of borshch:
> red borshch-barszcz czerwony(click on the picture);



Well, this may correspond to the Russian _svekol'nik_  (from svekla = beet). It is a deep red soup made with beets. At least in my family, it is served cold, with chopped fresh vegetables (radishes, scallion, cucumber), a sliced boiled agg and sour cream. Very refreshing in the summer, and is sometimes also called borshch, or "cold borshch".

As for the white borshch, we do have a dish called "okroshka", it's a white soup, made either from sour milk or kvas (fermented bread beverage). Like svekol'nik, it is a summer dish and is served called. Reminds me a little of the Spanish gazpacho soup.


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## Thomas1

Thank you guys a lot for the contribution. 



papillon said:


> Well, this may correspond to the Russian _svekol'nik_ (from svekla = beet). It is a deep red soup made with beets. At least in my family, it is served cold, with chopped fresh vegetables (radishes, scallion, cucumber), a sliced boiled agg and sour cream. Very refreshing in the summer, and is sometimes also called borshch, or "cold borshch".


 That's _chłodnik_ (two bottomed pictures). At least I think so after what I understood from your post.  Anyway, Wiki gives a different Russian name.  



papillon said:


> As for the white borshch, we do have a dish called "okroshka", it's a white soup, made either from sour milk or kvas (fermented bread beverage). Like svekol'nik, it is a summer dish and is served called. Reminds me a little of the Spanish gazpacho soup.


It can be made of kvas too but we serve it hot for all year long.


Mirynka said:


> Tom, as far as I know in Ukraine we have only one type of borshch. My first time when I tried the white borshch was during my stay in Poland. I've never seen it in Ukraine before.
> 
> The only difference is the way of cooking or the ingredients of the borshch, which may vary in different households. Still it stays red


The white borshch may indeed be unknown to you as, I think, it is a dish of German origin.

Tom


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## Setwale_Charm

This thread is becoming an ordeal for the empty stomachs!


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## Lucretia

As the Ukraine is a fairly large country borsch varies greatly from region to region.


> Your laddle must stand in a borshch.


It depends on individual tastes. Sour cream is not usually added in Southern Ukraine. White (wheat) bread is also preferred there. But the best are specially baked little ...er...things (pampushki-_unsweet buns)_ dunked in garlic sauce, which are served instead of bread.


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## Etcetera

Brian P said:


> It's a French word, Etcetera, spelled CUISINE.


Oh, yes. It's my 'favourite' word.
Thank you for correcting me. Hope it was the last time that I made this silly mistake!


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## dnldnl

papillon said:


> As for the white borshch, we do have a dish called "*okroshka*", it's a white soup, made either from sour milk or kvas (fermented bread beverage).



Okroshka is the nastiest stuff I've ever tried. I had never seen it until I went to Samara (Russia) to visit my relatives. They loved it there, yet I could never get used to it.


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## Etcetera

dnldnl said:


> Okroshka is the nastiest stuff I've ever tried. I had never seen it until I went to Samara (Russia) to visit my relatives. They loved it there, yet I could never get used to it.


De gustibus non est disputandum! 
I love okroshka, and I don't like borsch, unless it's cooked by my Mum.  But it's going to be an off-topic here.


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## Jana337

Indeed. 

If anyone is urged to contribute to the linguistic part of the question, please PM me and I will open it for you.

Jana


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