What Is Solyanka?

Many recipes of traditional Russian cuisine are a thing of the past, but some of them have survived to this day and are still popular today.

As a rule, the recipes for these dishes have many variations, since the original version of the execution is practically unknown to anyone. One of these dishes is Russian hodgepodge.

Easy soup appeared in Russia around the 14th-15th centuries, when hodgepodge was called a thick soup, which was usually boiled in fish broth with spicy spices.

Later, other options appeared: meat or mushroom; only one thing remained unchanged – the richness of the broth, the sharp sour-salty taste and the strong aroma of spices.

Each region of Russia has its own solyanka soup recipe, which is special, but traditionally pickled cucumbers, kvass, olives and mushrooms are traditional ingredients.

Some people add lemon to soup before serving to soften the spiciness a bit.

Historians say that hodgepodge became “solyanka” simply because of the rich salty taste that distinguished it from other soups.

The second version says that the rich soup was originally called “selyanka”, since it was mainly prepared in the villages by simple peasants.

In favor of this theory, historians put forward the fact of the creation of soup – they say, it was invented “accidentally”: supposedly the housewives prepared it from the products that were left at home and came to hand.

There is still no single correct answer to the question about the name, but, be that as it may, now hodgepodge is made not only at home, but also served in restaurants.

What is sbornaya solyanka? You can find the recipe on cook.me.

Usually in Russia, this soup is based on a classic meat broth, to which other ingredients are added.

From meat products, the classic combined hodgepodge usually includes all kinds of meat: ham, sausages, chicken, bacon, and so on.

Then always add vegetables, olives and mushrooms. One of the important solyanka ingredients is barrel salted (not pickled!) cucumbers, which give the soup a characteristic salty-sour taste.

“Sbornaya” in English means “collect”. You collect all the ingredients one by one. You can also see another version: staraya-narodnaya (traditional), moskovskaya or kubanskaya.

How to make the traditional solyanka? We give you some useful tips to cook authentic soup.

What type of olives are best in solyanka?

The main secret of the rich sour taste of hodgepodge is olives. Many chefs advise using that processed (canned) fruits differ greatly in taste from those that have not been subjected to such processing.

Also, some cooks believe that dried mature olives are good for making meat or fish variation, if you also put tomatoes in it.

Olives are better to buy in vegetable stores, be sure to try them. It should also be borne in mind that canned processed  variations are soft; they can fall apart in a plate of hot hodgepodge.

There is an opinion that if you use olives with stones, the hodgepodge turns out to be tastier.

In addition, olives and pitted olives are more saturated with brine, they often have an excess of salt.

As for the filling, it is better to choose with lemon. Other fillings for the easy soup are not needed – it already has so many different tastes.

Olives should be added at the end of cooking. It can lose their spicy aroma and taste.

After laying, bring the dish to a boil and immediately remove the dishes from the stove.

What type of meat to use in solyanka?

As you see, the main component of the solyanka is meat products, so it need a special attention.

If you want your soup to be not only tasty, but also beautiful, cut all the meat into strips of the same size.

The most delicious hodgepodge will turn out if you use as many types of meat as possible – beef or pork on the ribs, bacon, chicken drumsticks or wings, pork chop, hunting sausages, boiled, smoked or dry-cured sausages, ham or even Russian Doctorskaya kolbasa.

It is assumed that this is due to the lack of good meat during the Soviet era. Nowadays, it is not difficult to purchase various goods, so the choice for you.

How to make solyanka?

Solyanka soup recipe ingredients:

FOR THE BEEF BROUTH:

2-3 POUNDS BEEF(PORK ON THE RIBS)

1 BULB

1 CARROT

FAVORITE SPICES

FOR SOLYANKA:

1 BULB

1 CARROT

1 BUNCH OF PARSLEY

1 Can OF D TOMATOES

1 CAN OF TOMATO JUICE

SMOKED MEAT(BACON,CHICKEN, SAUSAGES)

4 SALT

¼ CUP BRINE

SPICES IN OVERALLS:

1 TSP GROUNF PAPRIKA

½ TSP BLACK PEPPER

couple PUMPING CAYENNE PEPPER

10-15 olives

PARSLEY

SERVICE:

GREEN-BASIL AND PARSLEY

1 LEMON

SOUR CREAM

HOW TO MAKE?

1.Add water and beef to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the chopped carrot ,celery and 1 bulb, boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

2.Place the oil in a large skillet and heat. Add onions and carrots, then saute until translucent. Put sausage, chicken, ham, pickles and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the pot with the meat and cabbage.

3.Add capers, grate the olives into thin rings, stewed tomatoes in the soup and bring to a boil. Pour in the wine and simmer for another 20 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper if necessary.

4.Pour hot soup into bowls, sprinkle with sour cream and dill. As an addition, serve black bread or warm buns to the table.

5. Delicious solyanka is ready.

There is only one variation you can also find fish or vegetarian version. It’s up to you. This popular dish can be found in Russian restaurants and you should taste it. Homemade solyanka will surprise you family and friends. It’s the perfect lunch or dinner dish during the colder months.