No.93 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Borscht

Made famous by Olia Hercules

Photo: Juerg Vollmer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Mamushka, 2015.

The beet soup at the heart of Ukrainian cooking, recognized by UNESCO in 2022. Olia Hercules's Mamushka brought home-style Ukrainian borscht to a new generation.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Mamushka.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (700 g) beef shin or bone-in short rib, or pork ribs
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns
• Salt
• 2 medium beets (about 12 oz / 350 g), peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or cider vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 head white cabbage (about 12 oz / 350 g), finely shredded
• 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) white or kidney beans, drained
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• To serve: sour cream, chopped dill, rye bread

Steps

1. Put the meat in a large pot with 3 quarts (3 liters) cold water, the bay leaves, peppercorns and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer gently 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender. Lift out the meat, shred it and discard the bones.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add the carrot and pepper and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Add the beets, tomato paste, vinegar and sugar with a ladle of the broth. Cover and simmer gently 15 minutes, stirring now and then. The vinegar keeps the beets bright red.
4. Add the potatoes to the simmering broth and cook 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook 5 minutes more.
5. Stir in the beet mixture, the beans and the shredded meat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes and cabbage are tender.
6. Stir in the garlic and taste: add salt, and more vinegar or sugar, until it's sweet-sour and bright. Turn off the heat and let it rest 15 minutes.
7. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream, plenty of dill and rye bread.

Chef's tips

• Borscht is better the next day.
• For a meatless version, use vegetable stock and add a few dried mushrooms.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Mamushka by Olia Hercules: get the book, No. 75 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

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