Ukrainian Green Borscht (Shchavlevyi Borshch)
In America, we celebrate Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day separately, but in Ukraine they are
combined into a single holiday called Defender of Ukraine Day, held on October 1st . While it is
legally a secular holiday, it was scheduled to coincide with a much older, religious tradition, the
Feast of the Intercession of the Theotokos, an Eastern Orthodox celebration of a 10th century
miracle when the Mother of God (their preferred title for Mary) protected the Christian city of
Constantinople from an invading, pagan, Rus army. As a combined celebration, it incorporates
modern military commemoration practices, including laying wreaths, lighting candles, and
moments of silence, with Ukrainian feasting dishes.
Ukrainian green borscht is traditional for the Feast of the Intercession. Borscht is an ancient dish,
thought to date back over 1000 years, that first appeared publicly in the Ukrainian city of Kyiv.
There are many kinds of borscht, the original being a green version made with hogweed. The red
borscht, made with beets, is the most common today, but it was only invented in the 18th century.
What they all have in common is sourness, usually with a touch of sweet as well. In red borscht,
the sourness originally came from fermenting the beet, though today it’s often achieved with
vinegar instead. In the modern, Ukrainian green borscht, the sourness comes from sorrel, which
grows both wild and in gardens in spring and summer. The Feast of the Intercession is held at the
end of sorrel season, so it’s a last chance to enjoy this dish. Additional leafy vegetables, like
chard, nettles, or spinach, give it its bright green color, and carrot is added for sweetness. Since
sorrel is not generally available commercially in the US, Ukrainian-Americans often use lemon
to get the characteristic sourness.
This is a vegetarian version. You can make it vegan by leaving out the egg and sour cream
toppings, or make it meaty by using chicken stock and adding cooked chicken at the end.
By Abby Schweber
Ingredients
1 onion
1 lb. potatoes (any kind)
2 Tbs. oil
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 lb. carrots
½ cup fresh dill
2 big bunches of spinach or 1 bunch chard (since chard generally comes in much bigger bunches!)
2 lemons
4 hard boiled eggs (optional)
1 cup sour cream (optional)
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, check What’s Fresh to see what’s in season
Method
Cut onion into ¼” dice. Cut potatoes into ½” dice.
Saute onion in a large pot on medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the pot and turn the heat to high until it comes to a boil.
Add the potatoes to the stock. When the stock comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
Grate or shred carrots.
Add the carrots to the soup and put the pot back onto the stove on medium for 5 more minutes.
Finely chop dill. Roughly chop the spinach or chard. Juice the lemons into the soup, and stir in the leafy greens and dill. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Make sure the potatoes are completely soft, if not continue cooking for a few more minutes. Remove from heat.
Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs (if using) and stir into the soup. Serve with a big dollop of sour cream in each bowl (if using).
