Boiled beef meatballs (frikadelki)Drop a few into each bowl before the soup goes in.
Bone marrowScoop it from the bone onto bread, or let it melt into the soup.
Broad beans or string beansStir them in near the end so they keep their shape.
Chopped dillScatter it on last so it stays green. Parsley, chives or scallions work too.
Minced garlicRaw, in a small dish. A pinch wakes up a mild pot.
Minced hot peppersFor those who like heat. Pass them round separately.
Small mushroom dumplings (uszka)Put them in the bowl first and ladle clear borscht over the top.
Sour cream (smetana)Stir in one spoonful, or leave it floating and take a little with each bite.
Thick wheat or buckwheat noodles (halushky)They soak up the broth, so serve them straight away.
Bread 3
Cured pork fat on rye bread (salo)Slice it thin and lay it on the bread with a little raw garlic or onion.
Garlic rolls (pampushky)Serve them warm and tear one open to mop the bowl.
Rye breadTake a bite of bread between spoonfuls of soup.
Potatoes, buckwheat and meat 5
Boiled beef from the pot with horseradishLift it from the stock, slice it and serve it on its own plate.
Boiled potatoes with pork cracklingsKeep the potatoes plain and spoon the hot cracklings over at the table.
Buckwheat and cheese casserole (krupenik)Cut it in squares and eat it warm beside the bowl.
Buckwheat groatsA spoonful on a side plate, with butter melting into it.
Fried sausage slicesBrown them in a pan and scatter them over a thick borscht.
Pies, pastries and pancakes 6
Baked filled buns (pirozhki)One in the hand and the spoon in the other.
Breaded crêpe croquette (krokiet)The partner for clear borscht in a cup. Dip the end in.
Cheese tarts (vatrushki)Pick the savory kind, with onion in the cheese.
Farmer cheese pancakes (syrniki)Small and hot from the pan, with a little sour cream.
Loaf-shaped pie (coulibiac)Cut a thick slice for each plate.
Small filled pastries (paszteciki)A mushroom or sauerkraut filling suits the beets.
For cold borscht 5
Chopped cucumber, radish and green onionDice them small, chill them and pour the cold soup over.
Chopped veal or hamCut it small so every spoonful gets a piece.
Crawfish tailsPeel them and drop a few on top just before serving.
Finely chopped beetrootPut a spoonful in each bowl before the cold soup goes in.
Hard-boiled egg halvesLay them in the bowl before the soup goes in, hot or cold.
Drinks 3
Berry drink (mors)Tart cranberry or lingonberry. Pour it chilled.
Dried fruit kompotServe it cold in summer and hot in winter.
Drinkable berry kisselThick and sweet. It can stand in for dessert.
How it works
What to eat with borscht? Sour cream in the bowl and bread beside it, at the least. These 31 ideas add the garnishes, garlic rolls, potatoes, buckwheat and small pies of Ukrainian, Polish and Russian tables, and three drinks.
Read the full guide
Borscht is seldom eaten by itself
Like any soup on an East Slavic table, borscht comes with a side dish. In Ukraine that is often pampushky, puffy rolls glazed with oil and crushed garlic. In Poland borscht is typically ladled over uszka, small dumplings filled with mushrooms, buckwheat or meat, and the clear kind may come with a croquette.
What do you eat with borscht to make a meal?
Pick one thing for the bowl, one bread and one filling side. Boiled potatoes, buckwheat or the beef from the pot make it dinner.
Set the sour cream out in a small pitcher so each person whitens their own bowl.
Questions and answers
What do you eat borscht with?
With sour cream, chopped dill and a slice of bread. Buckwheat groats or boiled potatoes, often topped with pork cracklings, are the other simple sides, and many kinds of borscht are served over halved hard-boiled eggs.
What bread goes with borscht?
Any dense bread works, and rye is our pick. In Ukraine the bread is often pampushky, the garlic rolls. Pirozhki, small baked filled buns, are another common side.
What meat goes with borscht?
The meat the stock was made from: cut it up and return it to the soup, or serve it on the side with horseradish or mustard. Bacon and sausages are common garnishes, and Siberian borscht is eaten with boiled beef meatballs.
What do you eat with cold borscht?
It is served chilled over chopped cucumber, radish and green onion, with halves of hard-boiled egg and fresh dill. Chopped veal, ham or crawfish tails may go in too. Jewish borscht, hot or cold, typically comes with a hot boiled potato.
What do you drink with borscht?
Without alcohol: kompot, a sweet drink of boiled fruit, or mors, a berry drink made from lingonberries or cranberries. Kissel, a thickened berry dessert, can be thin enough to drink.