The Zurek is a traditional Polish soup served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, typically presented in bread and made to celebrate Easter.
A soup of fermented rye flour (zakwas), with sausage, boiled eggs, and vegetables, with regional variations passed down through generations.
First, you need to prepare the zakwas*, which takes at least three days.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 3 Days
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Polish
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons rye flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- to taste pepper
- 8.5 cups water
- 7 oz bacon (diced)
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 4 white sausages
- 6 potatoes
- to taste marjoram
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.8 oz sour cream
- 2 eggs (hard-boiled)
- to taste parsley
- to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
To prepare the zakwas:
In a jar, which should not be sealed tightly, combine all ingredients and mix.
It’s better to cover the jar with cotton, but air must pass through.
Let ferment in the fridge for three days.
Remove the foam that forms on the surface, and the mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
The soup:
Fry the bacon in its fat and add the onion.
When the water boils, add the bacon, carrot, sausages, and peeled, diced potatoes.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the carrot, puree it, and return it to the pot.
Add the zakwas, marjoram, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper.
Slice the sausages into rounds.
Add the sour cream.
Serve inside a hollowed-out bread loaf (or a bowl): the broth with sausages, halved hard-boiled eggs, and chopped parsley.
During our trip to Warsaw in September 2024, we tasted a “modern” decomposed version (see presentation in the video above “What and where to eat in Warsaw”) at the “Future & Wine” restaurant.
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*The zakwas can also be purchased ready-made in a packet.
