Name: Imbramowska Cabbage Soup with Rye Żur Starter
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 790 min
Yield: 6 servings; about 500 g total: roughly 350 g thin cabbage soup plus 150 g potatoes, pork cracklings and parsley
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 800 g fresh white cabbage, finely shredded; 200 ml active plain rye żur starter, as fermented liquid rather than prepared soup; 250 ml warm potable water; 16 g fine non-iodized salt; 900 ml potable water, for the soup; 900 g potatoes, scrubbed and peeled; 1.8 l potable water, for boiling the potatoes; discard after cooking; 120 g fresh unsalted pork back fat, diced into 1 cm pieces; 15 g fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Wide view of shredded cabbage soup with pork cracklings and boiled potatoes alongside.

Servings 6

Serving size about 500 g total, roughly 350 g soup plus 150 g potatoes, cracklings, and parsley

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 45 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Imbramowska Cabbage Soup with Rye Żur Starter

Imbramowska kapusta na żurze is a lightly fermented cabbage dish from Imbramowice in Małopolskie. This home version turns the cabbage into a thin, pale soup and serves it with freshly boiled potatoes, crisp pork cracklings, rendered fat, and parsley.

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture’s traditional-products register describes two forms: fried cabbage and a thin soup. The soup is served alongside newly boiled potatoes topped with pork fat and greens. The register identifies shredded white cabbage, a little żur, and warm water as the base, but it does not give measured quantities or one definitive household formula. This six-serving recipe is a practical measured adaptation of the thin-soup form.

Here, żur means a fermented rye liquid used as a starter, not a prepared bowl of rye soup. The cabbage ferments briefly with that starter, water, and a measured amount of salt. Because the traditional description does not set a food-safety endpoint, this adaptation uses a calibrated pH meter: the representative brine must reach pH 4.6 or below within 24 hours. Discard the batch if it does not meet that limit or shows mold, unusual discoloration, or a putrid smell; do not taste it to check.

Once the cabbage passes its pH check, simmer it with fresh water until tender. Boil the potatoes separately and drain them, then spoon freshly rendered pork fat and cracklings over them. The result should remain a thin, lightly tangy cabbage soup rather than a thick rye soup or the separately documented fried-cabbage version.

Tips for success

Calibrate the food pH meter with pH 4.00 and 7.00 buffers before measuring. Test representative liquid, not just the surface.
Keep the cabbage below the liquid with a clean fermentation weight. Maintain 20–22 °C and stop by 24 hours; use it only at pH 4.6 or lower.
Use plain, active rye żur starter as a fermented liquid. Prepared, seasoned żur soup is not the same ingredient.
Drain and discard the potato-boiling water. The potatoes are served separately with the rendered fat and cracklings.
Render the pork back fat slowly over medium-low heat so the pieces turn crisp and golden without scorching.

Ingredients

Short-fermented cabbage

800 g fresh white cabbage, finely shredded
200 ml active plain rye żur starter, as fermented liquid rather than prepared soup
250 ml warm potable water
16 g fine non-iodized salt

Thin soup and serving

900 ml potable water, for the soup
900 g potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
1.8 l potable water, for boiling the potatoes; discard after cooking
120 g fresh unsalted pork back fat, diced into 1 cm pieces
15 g fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Method

Directions

Ferment and check the cabbageMix the shredded cabbage with the salt, rye żur starter, and 250 ml warm water. Pack it firmly into a clean food-grade jar, press the cabbage below the liquid, and fit the fermentation weight. Cover according to the jar design so gases can escape. Keep it at 20–22 °C for 12–24 hours. Calibrate the pH meter with its buffers, then measure representative brine. Use the cabbage only if its pH is 4.6 or lower by 24 hours. Discard it if the pH is higher, if it has not shown a clear acidification, or if you see mold, unusual discoloration, or notice a putrid smell. Do not taste a failed batch.
Boil and drain the potatoesPut the peeled potatoes in the medium pot and add the measured 1.8 l water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 18–25 minutes, until a knife passes through with slight resistance. Drain well and discard the cooking water.
Render the pork back fatWhile the potatoes cook, put the diced pork back fat in the small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pieces are golden and crisp and rendered fat has collected in the pan. Keep both the cracklings and the fat. Keep raw pork separate from ready-to-eat foods, then wash your hands and utensils.
Simmer the thin cabbage soupTransfer the pH-approved cabbage and all its fermentation liquid to the large soup pot. Add 900 ml fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the cabbage is tender but still visible in fine strands. Do not add extra salt before tasting the cooked soup; all 16 g measured salt went into the ferment.
Serve with potatoes and cracklingsLadle the thin cabbage soup into bowls. Serve the freshly boiled potatoes alongside or on the same plate. Spoon the rendered pork fat and crisp cracklings over the potatoes, then scatter the parsley over the potatoes and soup. Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeabout 500 g total, roughly 350 g soup plus 150 g potatoes, cracklings, and parsley
Caloriesabout 370 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 39 g
Proteinabout 6 g
Fatabout 21 g
Fiberabout 7 g
Sodiumabout 1,050 mg

These rounded ingredient-based estimates assume that all measured salt and rendered pork fat remain in the meal. Actual values vary with how much fat renders, how much is served, the cabbage, and the rye starter.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage, and reheating: Serve about 350 g soup with roughly 150 g potatoes, cracklings, and parsley per person, for a combined plate of about 500 g with a portion of the potatoes and pork cracklings. The cabbage ferment can be started earlier on cooking day, but keep it within the stated 12–24-hour window and refrigerate it promptly at 4 °C or below once it passes the pH check. It is not shelf-stable. The potatoes and cracklings are best made just before serving.

Serving, storage, and reheating: Cool leftover soup in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below. Use within 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat the whole soup to 73.9 °C, stirring so it heats evenly. Refrigerate leftover potatoes and cracklings promptly as well.

Contains rye (gluten). Use a calibrated food pH meter and clean food-grade equipment for the cabbage. Keep it submerged at 20–22 °C and use it only when representative brine is at pH 4.6 or below within 24 hours. Discard a batch that misses the limit or develops mold, unusual discoloration, or a putrid smell; do not taste it. Keep raw pork fat separate from ready-to-eat foods and wash hands and utensils after handling it. Cool leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate at 4 °C or below; use within 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat the entire soup to 73.9 °C.

To finish

Short-fermented cabbage and rye żur give this Małopolskie soup its gentle tang and fine, tender texture.
Serve the thin polewka with freshly boiled potatoes, crisp pork cracklings, rendered fat, and parsley.

Imbramowska Cabbage Soup with Rye Żur Starter

Tips for success

Ingredients

Short-fermented cabbage

Thin soup and serving

Method

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

To finish

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