How many calories in borscht
A bowl of borscht has 250 kcal, with 12 g of protein.
Portion
To burn it off
Borscht is a beetroot soup with cabbage, potato, carrot and usually a bit of beef, which is where the deep red comes from. Every grandmother makes it differently and every one of them is right.
A bowl on its own is 250 kcal. A spoon of smetana takes it to 320, and with a slice or two of dark rye bread it's 400.
It's mostly vegetables, so it fills you up for not much. The meat and the smetana are where the fat comes from.
Tips
- 1Have one slice of rye with it rather than a stack.
- 2Go easy on the smetana, a small spoon still turns it pink.
- 3Skip the salo on the side, or have one thin slice.
Where it comes from
The name comes from borshch, the old Slavic word for hogweed, the wild plant the first versions of the soup were made from. Over the centuries other vegetables took its place, and in Ukraine beetroot became the heart of it, which is where the deep red comes from. In 2022 UNESCO put the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking on its list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Where does our food come from? · Source: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, A Brief History of Borshch
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bowl of borscht with smetana
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Questions
What is borscht?
A beetroot soup with cabbage, potato and often beef, served hot with smetana and bread.
How many calories in borscht with smetana?
About 320 kcal for a bowl with a spoon of smetana.
Is borscht filling?
Yes. It's mostly vegetables and broth, so a bowl is a lot of food for 250 kcal.
Why did my borscht turn brown instead of red?
Beetroot loses its colour when it's boiled too long. Cook it separately with a little vinegar or lemon juice and add it near the end, and the soup stays deep red.
What is green borscht?
A spring soup made with sorrel instead of beetroot, with potato and a halved boiled egg in each bowl. It's sour and fresh, and also gets a spoon of smetana.
