borscht
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of borscht
1880–85; < Yiddish borsht; compare Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Russian borshch soup with red beets as ingredient; or directly < East Slavic
Explanation
Borscht is a sour soup that's common in Eastern Europe. Most borscht is made with beets and is bright red. If you love Russian cuisine, you'll say "da" to a bowl of borscht. The beet-flavored borscht that most Americans are familiar with comes from Ukraine, and is traditionally served with sour cream. There are many variations, including a cold borscht and borscht made from different meats and vegetables. In Russia, Poland, and other Eastern European countries, borscht simply means "sour soup," and the word comes from the Russian borshch, "cow parsnip."
Vocabulary lists containing borscht
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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Russia - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then a few weeks ago, I had all my preconceived notions about borscht upended by the gently sour, campfire-sweet version with charcoal-dried pears and duck at the modern Ukrainian restaurant Anelya in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2024
There’s a heavy lean on traditional Ukrainian recipes passed down from Kravchuk’s mother, like classic borscht and pierogies.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
As both magician and mnemonist, he was a direct, gleeful scion of the 19th-century midway pitchman and the 20th-century borscht belt tummler.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
Like the borscht belt ruin, its decay had become its allure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
Zorya Vechernyaya took five wooden bowls and placed an unpeeled boiled potato in each, then ladled in a healthy serving of a ferociously crimson borscht.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
