Lithuania: Cold Beetroot Soup - Šaltibarščiai

Have you ever heard of a place so in love with a soup that they have an annual festival dedicated to it? Well, now you have! Šaltibarščiai is the incredible “Pink Soup” hailing from Lithuania that is the perfect cure for the hot weather spells during the summer, when you simply cannot figure out what to cook or eat. This soup is a refreshing and creamy beetroot summer treat that can rally over 93,000 people for a celebration in its honour…and I personally believe it is still underrated.

As for the festival - it is the Pink Soup Festival in Vilnius and you better believe I immediately signed up to their mailing list.

I myself was introduced to this amazing soup by a very good (now even better) friend when we were discussing summer soups… as one does.. and sharing Ukrainian and Lithuanian stories. I have since tried my hand at the said the soup and absolutely get why the people of Lithuania are marching in the streets.

While my friend tells me the recipes and approaches vary from home to home slightly (some brothier, some with more Kefir, some with all diced or all grated vegetables..etc), but this is my take on it and I am very happy to say it got her formal nod of Lithuanian approval.

Ingredients

Potatoes (and an onion, if you like fried onions)

400-500g Pickled Beetroot (no seasonings, just in vinegar)

Bunch of Dill

Bunch of Spring onions

1 large cucumber

4-5 eggs

500 ml Kefir

Step 1

Grate the beetroot (and maybe consider wearing gloves).

Once grated, place everything into the soup pot.

Step 2

After you have added your grated beetroot, dice up your cucumber, your spring onions and your dill.

Here, some people prefer to grate the cucumber as well, but I think small cubes bring a nice texture to the soup while the grated beetroot makes it overall smoother.

Step 3

Once diced - it is time to pour over your kefir and bring the soup to the right consistency.

After adding in your kefir, you can add some cool boiled water to thin it out to the consistency that you prefer.
At this point you can also add some salt, to taste.

Stick your soup into the fridge to keep it cool while you prepare the side dish and garnishing.

Step 4

Garnishings:
Eggs: Hardboil your eggs and then cool them in cold or ice water to make them easier to peel and slice them in half.

Potatoes: I prefer small or new potatoes. I boil them first and then throw them onto a pan and fry them in oil and butter, with some onions.

Potatoes serve as a side dish for the soup while the eggs go on top of the soup, in bowl.

Garnish the soup with some more fresh dill on top and serve!

Garnish the soup with some more fresh dill on top and serve!