Okroshki

Appears in
Ethnic Cuisines of our People
Ethnic Cuisines of our People

By William Pokhlebkin

Published 1978

  • About

An okroshka is a cold soup made with kvass, a beverage made from bread or vegetables, or from a mixture of equal parts of cold meat and fish; the name of the okroshka changes according to the ingredients used. Vegetables, meat and fish should be of the highest quality.

Vegetables used in okroshki should be of two kinds: the first sort neutral and mild in taste, the others sharp and savoury; all should be finely chopped or diced. Suitable vegetables are boiled potatoes, turnips, carrots, swedes and fresh cucumbers –the Russian ones are gherkin size. The savoury vegetables and herbs are spring onions, dill, parsley, chervil, celery and tarragon. This vegetable mixture should comprise about half the volume of vegetable okroshki and between a quarter and a third of okroshki that contain meat or fish.