Modern Beet Soup
“Sweet beets were grown in profusion hereabouts, and were served with almost every meal. The Volantenes made a cold soup of them, as thick and rich as purple honey.” -A Dance with Dragons
Thoughts:
The Roman recipe is the stranger of the two, and more rustic. The vegetables, especially the leeks, don’t quite puree completely down, giving the soup a hearty texture with an earthy taste.
The modern version is more familiar to many, as it’s basically a borscht. It’s simple, wholesome, hearty, with a lovely smooth texture. This soup showcases all the best aspects of root vegetables. yum.
The winner? The beauty alone of these soups make them worth a try. However, the wonderful earthiness of the Roman recipe can’t quite beat out the overall winning qualities of the modern dish. Some things just improve over time!
Recipes available in the Cookbook.
Hmm, I’ve always been suspicious of beets! Still, I’m intrigued by the ingredients. I think I’ll make these!
I’ve recently grown fond of fresh beets. Definately will give this one a try, though my current favorite application is in a salad with baby spinach, goat cheese, and some good walnuts. Roasted beets are so tasty if you have the time to do it.
Mm! I had lots of different borschts in Russia, it’s delicious! I would like to try one of these!
I made something like the Roman version a few weeks ago, only subbing beef broth for the wine and water, and adding a bunch of fresh dill. Delectable!
Love these beet recipes (would use vege broths). Just letting you know that there is an intriguing paragraph after the Roman soup that appears without any link to the Roman recipe. Using honey, chicken legs, grated beets etc. Is there something missing here?
Aha! You’ve found one of the vestiges of our kitchen process. I had originally intended to use that quirky paragraph, which is someone else’s Apicius “translation”, but after looking at the original Latin recipe (Classics Major! Woot!), I discovered discrepancies that I tried to put to rights in my own recipe. I then clearly forgot to delete the extra instructions. :)
What’s the white dollop on the top of the modern soup?
im taking a guess on it being sour cream.
It is!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recommends feta cheese in place of the cream for his beetroot soup. I can report that it is fabulous, with the saltiness of the cheese providing a wonderful counterpoint to the sweet moist beets. It’s also a visual treat.
I did this last night. It tasted wonderful and somehow it made us hungrier…the perfect starter!