Sour rye soup · soup

Żurek

Name: Sour rye soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 500 ml rye sourdough starter (zakwas); 1.5 l vegetable or meat stock; 200 g white sausage (biała kiełbasa); 200 g smoked bacon; 2 hard-boiled eggs; 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic; 2 bay leaves, 4 allspice berries; marjoram, salt, black pepper

Easter table essential; the sour rye starter (zakwas) is what defines the soup and is often made or bought separately, days in advance.

1
Render the bacon; sweat the onion and garlic in the fat.
2
Add stock, bay, allspice; simmer the white sausage in this base 20 minutes.
3
Stir in the sourdough starter, whisking; do not boil hard or it splits.
4
Season generously with marjoram, salt, pepper.
5
Serve over halved boiled egg with the sliced sausage.

Last verified: 2026-06-29