Polish National Dishes

Barszcz biały na króliku po tokarsku — Tokary white barszcz with rabbit

Barszcz biały na króliku po tokarsku is a creamy-white rabbit soup associated with Tokary and the Turek area of Wielkopolska. Its broth is built from rabbit and soup vegetables, then sharpened with vinegar and finished with cream, lovage and a generous amount of marjoram. The flour-and-cream liaison gives the soup a smooth, lightly thickened body.

Polish National Dishes
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Wide view of Tokary rabbit soup and mashed potatoes on a rustic table.
Yield 6 servings
Portion about 400 ml soup with one-sixth of the mashed-potato accompaniment
Preparation 25 minutes
Cooking about 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients ↓
At a glance

Barszcz biały na króliku po tokarsku — Tokary white barszcz with rabbit

Barszcz biały na króliku po tokarsku is a creamy-white rabbit soup associated with Tokary and the Turek area of Wielkopolska. Its broth is built from rabbit and soup vegetables, then sharpened with vinegar and finished with cream, lovage and a generous amount of marjoram. The flour-and-cream liaison gives the soup a smooth, lightly thickened body.

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture registered the dish on its Traditional Products List in 2019. Its regional profile describes a creamy, tangy soup with notes of vinegar and marjoram, often served with mashed potatoes or noodles. A 2023 Wielkopolska regional recipe gives the ingredient list and a roughly two-hour rabbit simmer. This measured home version follows that method for six servings; it is not presented as one definitive household formula.

This version returns the meat picked from the cooked rabbit bones to the soup and serves buttery mashed potatoes alongside. The broth is acidified with wine or apple-cider vinegar rather than wheat sourdough, so this Tokarsku barszcz should not be confused with żurek. Add the vinegar gradually, since its strength varies, and temper the flour-and-cream mixture with hot broth to prevent lumps.

Tips for success

Tips for success

  • Ask the butcher to cut the rabbit into pieces that fit your stockpot; keep the bones in for the broth.
  • Start the rabbit in cold water and bring it gradually to a boil so you can skim the surface before adding vegetables.
  • Keep the broth at a gentle simmer for about 2 hours rather than boiling it hard.
  • Use a food thermometer to check that the rabbit reaches at least 71°C; the meat should also separate easily from the bones.
  • Cut the carrot, parsley root, leek and celeriac into large pieces so they are easy to remove after simmering.
  • Strain the broth before thickening for the smooth consistency described for this soup.
  • Whisk the 30 g flour and 240 g cream together until smooth before adding any hot broth.
  • Temper the cream mixture with hot broth a little at a time, then strain it into the pot while stirring.
  • Bring the thickened soup back to a boil and simmer it for 3–5 minutes so the flour cooks through.
  • Add the wine or apple-cider vinegar gradually; the soup should taste distinctly tangy without becoming harsh.
  • Rub the dried marjoram between your fingers as you add it to release its aroma, then taste before adding more salt.
  • Mash the potatoes while hot and loosen them with reserved cooking water only as needed.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Rabbit soup

  • 1.5 kg bone-in rabbit, skinned and cut into pieces
  • 2.5 L cold water
  • 150 g carrot, scrubbed and roughly chopped
  • 100 g parsley root, scrubbed and roughly chopped
  • 100 g leek, cleaned and cut into pieces
  • 100 g celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 8 g fine salt
  • 1 g black pepper
  • 10 g fresh lovage leaves and tender stems
  • 6 g dried marjoram
  • 45 ml wine vinegar or apple-cider vinegar, then adjust to taste
  • 30 g wheat flour
  • 240 g cream, about 12% fat
  • About 150 ml hot strained rabbit broth, taken from the pot

Buttered mashed potatoes

  • 1.2 kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • About 2 L water for boiling the potatoes
  • 2 g fine salt
  • 40 g unsalted butter
  • Up to 100 ml hot potato cooking water, as needed
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Start the rabbit broth.Put the rabbit pieces and cold water in a heavy stockpot. Bring slowly to a boil, skimming any foam from the surface. Add the carrot, parsley root, leek, celeriac, lovage, black pepper and 8 g salt. Cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours, until the thickest rabbit pieces reach at least 71°C and the meat separates easily from the bones.

  2. Cook the potatoes.During the last 20 minutes of the simmer, put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and add 2 g salt. Boil for about 18–22 minutes, until a fork passes through easily. Drain, reserving up to 100 ml of the hot cooking water.

  3. Strain the soup.Lift the rabbit and vegetables from the stock. Strain the broth into a clean pot. When the rabbit is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and return the meat to the broth; discard the bones and spent vegetables. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer.

  4. Thicken with cream and flour.Stir the vinegar into the broth. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and cream until smooth. Gradually whisk in about 150 ml hot broth to temper the mixture, then strain it. Pour the liaison into the pot while stirring. Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until smooth and lightly thickened.

  5. Season the soup.Rub the marjoram between your fingers and stir it into the soup. Taste and adjust the vinegar and seasoning within the measured amounts. The soup should be creamy white, smooth and distinctly but pleasantly tangy. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.

  6. Mash and serve.Mash the drained potatoes with the butter and 2 g salt. Add hot potato water a little at a time only if needed. Ladle about 400 ml hot soup into each bowl and serve with a portion of buttery mashed potatoes alongside.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Practical

Make ahead and leftovers

The rabbit broth can be cooked and strained ahead, then refrigerated promptly. Cool leftover soup in shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate at or below 4°C. Use within 3 days. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout, stirring so the soup heats evenly. Store leftover mashed potatoes separately and keep them chilled.

Substitutions

The regional recipe also serves this soup with noodles instead of mashed potatoes; nutrition here includes the measured potato-and-butter accompaniment, so a noodle swap changes the estimate. The source recipe allows wine vinegar or apple-cider vinegar. Add either one gradually because acidity varies by product. Keep the rabbit, cream, wheat flour, lovage, marjoram and vinegar in the soup to preserve this measured Tokarsku-style version.

Nutrition and food safety

Nutrition and food safety

  • Serving sizeabout 400 ml soup plus one-sixth of the potato accompaniment
  • Energyabout 500 kcal
  • Carbohydrateabout 48 g
  • Proteinabout 35 g
  • Fatabout 20 g
  • Fibreabout 5 g
  • Sodiumabout 900 mg

These rounded estimates include rabbit meat and broth, the flour-and-cream liaison, and the measured potato-and-butter side. Bone share, edible rabbit yield, cream and butter brands, salt and broth reduction change the values. Contains wheat/gluten and milk. Check the rabbit, cream and butter labels for additional ingredients or allergens. Keep raw rabbit separate from ready-to-eat foods and wash hands, knives and boards after handling it. Cook the rabbit to at least 71°C and until the meat separates easily from the bones. Keep the finished soup hot for serving; do not leave it at room temperature for an extended period. Cool leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate at or below 4°C, use within 3 days and reheat once until steaming hot throughout.

Nutrition and food safety

Nutrition and food safety

These rounded estimates include rabbit meat and broth, the flour-and-cream liaison, and the measured potato-and-butter side. Bone share, edible rabbit yield, cream and butter brands, salt and broth reduction change the values. Contains wheat/gluten and milk. Check the rabbit, cream and butter labels for additional ingredients or allergens. Keep raw rabbit separate from ready-to-eat foods and wash hands, knives and boards after handling it. Cook the rabbit to at least 71°C and until the meat separates easily from the bones. Keep the finished soup hot for serving; do not leave it at room temperature for an extended period. Cool leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate at or below 4°C, use within 3 days and reheat once until steaming hot throughout.

To finish

To finish

  • Rabbit bones and soup vegetables make a long-simmered broth that is thickened with cream and wheat flour.
  • Vinegar, lovage and marjoram give this creamy-white Wielkopolska barszcz its characteristic tang and aroma.
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