By Ujjainee Roy
March 28, 2024
Šaltibarščiai is a traditional Lithuanian cold beet soup, which is essentially a cold borscht. It's made with grated or finely chopped beets, kefir or buttermilk, cucumbers, fresh herbs, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs. The best part is that this soup was just rated the best cold soup in the world!
– 2 medium-sized beets, – 2 cups kefir or buttermilk – 1 cucumber – 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled – 2 green onions, chopped – 2 tablespoons fresh dill, – 1 tablespoon fresh chives – Salt and pepper – Sour cream – Additional chopped herbs for garnish (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated beets, diced cucumbers, and diced hard-boiled eggs. In another bowl, whisk together the kefir or buttermilk and sour cream until smooth.
Gradually pour the kefir mixture into the bowl with the beets, cucumbers, and eggs, stirring gently to combine. Add the chopped dill, chives, parsley, scallions, and minced garlic.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate the soup for at least 2-3 hours, or until well chilled. Chilling allows the flavours to meld together.
Once chilled, give the soup a final stir and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg. Sprinkle extra chopped herbs on top for added freshness.