Żurek
Żurek belongs to the broad family of sour soups found across Central and Eastern Europe, but it's distinguished by its rye starter — a mixture fermented over several days that gives the soup its characteristic tang, in place of the vinegar or lemon used elsewhere. Its roots go back to medieval Polish peasant cooking, where fermentation was a practical way to preserve grain and add flavor to otherwise simple winter soups. The meat-free, fasting version was traditionally served on Holy Saturday, the last day of the Catholic fast, with eggs and unsmoked white sausage added only after midnight, when the fast ended. Today, most versions include smoked meat from the start, but the technique of tempering the sour cream — gradually mixing it with warm soup before adding it to the pot — remains essential to keep the sauce from curdling.
Sourness comes from rye starter, not vinegar
A fermented rye flour starter (zakwas) sours the soup naturally, giving it its distinctive tang.
A halved or whole boiled egg on top
Each portion gets a boiled egg that breaks open into the hot broth.
Smoked sausage and ham cooked right in the soup
The smoked meat simmers directly in the broth, letting its flavor infuse the whole pot.
Sometimes served in a hollowed-out bread bowl
The soup is occasionally poured into a round loaf with the center scooped out, as an edible bowl.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500ml rye starter (zakwas), store-bought or homemade
- 1.5l beef or chicken broth
- 300g Polish smoked sausage (kiełbasa)
- 150g smoked ham, cubed
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bay leaf, 3-4 allspice berries
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp grated horseradish, plus more for serving
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, for serving
How to make it
- 1SIMMER THE MEAT: Bring the beef broth to a boil, add the sausage and smoked ham, the bay leaf and allspice berries, then let it simmer 20 minutes over low heat.
- 2ADD THE GARLIC: Stir in the crushed garlic, simmer 5 more minutes, so the flavors develop.
- 3POUR IN THE STARTER: Reduce the heat to low, pour in the rye starter gradually, stirring continuously, and avoid letting the soup boil hard after this step.
- 4THICKEN WITH SOUR CREAM: Ladle a cup of warm soup and gradually whisk it into the sour cream and grated horseradish in a separate bowl, to temper it.
- 5POUR IT BACK: Pour the tempered sour cream mixture back into the pot, stirring continuously, then warm gently without boiling, so the cream doesn't curdle.
- 6SEASON: Taste and adjust with salt and pepper, keeping in mind the starter and sausage already bring tang and saltiness.
- 7SERVE: Halve the boiled eggs, place them in bowls, ladle the hot soup over them, and serve with extra horseradish and rye bread.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
