Zupa Ogorkowa: An Easy Recipe for Polish Pickle Soup

Zupa ogorkowa, also known as pickle soup, is a traditional Polish soup that the women of Gwizdaly first created. It uses typical ingredients of Polish cooking, including pickles, potatoes, vegetables, and sour cream.

Due to the pickles and sour cream, the soup has a sour and acidic yet creamy flavour that those accustomed to eating Polish cuisine will know. People new to the cuisine may initially find the flavours unfamiliar. Pickles, or gherkins, are a common Polish ingredient, as pickling is a cheap and easy method of preserving foods.

If you want to try an easy Polish soup different from anything else you have tried, give this simple zupa ogorkowa recipe a try. Here is our zupa ogorkowa recipe.

Useful Information About the Polish Pickle Soup

Ingredients for Zupa Ogorkowa

• 2 litres of vegetable or chicken stock
• 6 large gherkins, grated
• 1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
• 250 ml sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped dill for garnish (optional)

How to Make Zupa Ogorkowa

1. Add the stock to a large pan over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Next, add the celery, potatoes, carrots, and parsnip to the pan.
3. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add the pickles with the juices accumulated during grating and stir into the stock and vegetables.
5. Add the sour cream to a heatproof bowl, and temper by adding two spoons of the soup stock while whisking.
6. Then, transfer the tempered sour cream from the bowl to the soup pan and stir.
7. Simmer for another five minutes to ensure all the ingredients are heated through and combined.
8. Serve the zupa ogorkowa in bowls and garnish with the freshly chopped dill.

Additional Tips for Making Polish Pickle Soup

• Traditionally, people serve zupa ogorkowa with rye bread, although you can serve it with the bread of your choice or on its own.
• You might also like to try some other Polish soups, such as flaki (Polish tripe soup), rosol (chicken noodle soup), kapusniak, krupnik, or zurek.
• Omit the dill if you are not a fan of the flavour, and garnish with parsley instead.