Name: Zupa Ogórkowa: Polish Sour Cucumber Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 53 min
Total time: 83 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 2.0 L water; 120 g yellow onion, peeled and quartered; 60 g leek, white and light-green parts, washed and sliced; 150 g carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks; 80 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large chunks; 60 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks; 2 bay leaves; 3 allspice berries; 400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm dice; 400 g salt-fermented cucumbers (ogórki kiszone), coarsely grated; not vinegar pickles; 150 ml strained fermented cucumber brine, plus more only if needed; 15 ml rapeseed oil; 200 g sour cream, 18% fat; 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped; 2 g fine salt initially; adjust only after tasting; 1 g ground black pepper

A wide view of „Zupa Ogórkowa: Polish Sour Cucumber Soup“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 bowls

Serving size about 400 ml

Difficulty easy

Category Polish fermented-cucumber and potato soup; contains milk and celery

Ingredients ↓

About zupa ogórkowa

Zupa Ogórkowa: Polish Sour Cucumber Soup

The soup’s signature is its savoury, rounded acidity. Salt-fermented cucumbers and their brine bring a deeper tang than vinegar pickles, while potatoes and root vegetables make the broth satisfying. Sour cream softens the sharpness without hiding the fermented cucumber, and dill gives the finished soup a fresh herbal aroma.

Ogórkowa belongs to a wider Polish fondness for sour flavours and preserved vegetables. Polish sources describe the soup as a familiar part of the cuisine, while historical recipes differ in broth, garnishes and thickening. A traditional-product listing for one regional fermented cucumber documents the ingredient’s own brine-fermentation tradition; it does not make every soup prepared with fermented cucumbers a registered regional dish.

For a clear, balanced bowl, simmer the roots first to flavour the broth, then add the potatoes. Grate and soften the cucumbers in oil in a separate pan before combining them with the soup. Finish with tempered sour cream off the boil, then adjust the brine in small measured additions until the soup tastes pleasantly sour rather than harsh.

Tips for good results

Choose salt-fermented cucumbers in brine, not vinegar-preserved gherkins.
Keep the sour cream refrigerated while the broth and vegetables cook.
Cut the potatoes evenly so they become tender at the same time.
Soften the grated cucumbers separately; do not brown them.
Add cucumber brine a little at a time because salt levels vary.
Temper the cream and remove the pot from the heat before stirring it in.

Ingredients

2.0 L water
120 g yellow onion, peeled and quartered
60 g leek, white and light-green parts, washed and sliced
150 g carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
80 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large chunks
60 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 bay leaves
3 allspice berries
400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm dice
400 g salt-fermented cucumbers (ogórki kiszone), coarsely grated; not vinegar pickles
150 ml strained fermented cucumber brine, plus more only if needed
15 ml rapeseed oil
200 g sour cream, 18% fat
15 g fresh dill, finely chopped
2 g fine salt initially; adjust only after tasting
1 g ground black pepper

Method

Directions

Prepare the vegetables.Peel the onion, carrot, parsley root, celeriac and potatoes. Quarter the onion; cut the carrot, parsley root and celeriac into large broth pieces. Dice the potatoes into 1.5 cm cubes. Wash and slice the leek. Coarsely grate the fermented cucumbers into a bowl and strain their brine into a measuring jug. Keep the sour cream refrigerated.
Make the vegetable broth.Put the water, onion, leek, carrot, parsley root, celeriac, bay leaves and allspice in the 5 L pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover partly and simmer for 30–35 minutes, until the roots are tender and the broth tastes savoury. Lift out the large broth vegetables and discard or reserve them for another use; keep the broth in the pot.
Cook the potatoes.Add the diced potatoes and 2 g initial salt to the broth. Simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, until the potato pieces are just tender when pierced but still hold their shape.
Soften the fermented cucumber.While the potatoes cook, heat the rapeseed oil in the medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated cucumbers and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until softened and fragrant. Do not brown them. Add the cucumbers to the soup and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Season and temper the cream.Stir in 100 ml of the measured cucumber brine and the black pepper. Taste before adding more brine or salt; add more brine in small measured splashes if you want a sharper soup. Put the sour cream in a heatproof bowl and whisk in 2 ladles of hot broth, one at a time. Remove the soup from the heat, then stir in the tempered cream and chopped dill. Do not boil after adding the cream. Taste and adjust only the salt and brine.
Rest and serve.Leave the soup off the heat for 5 minutes. Ladle into six bowls, distributing the potatoes and grated cucumber evenly, and serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeabout 400 ml
Caloriesabout 180 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 18 g
Proteinabout 3 g
Fatabout 10 g
Fibreabout 3 g
Sodiumabout 850 mg

Estimated values for one sixth of the recipe: These rounded estimates use generic composition data for potatoes, root vegetables, onion and sour cream. Fermented cucumbers and their brine vary greatly in salt, so the actual sodium may be higher or lower. This is not a laboratory analysis.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage, and make-ahead: Serve hot as a light meal or first course. The soup may thicken slightly as it stands; stir in a splash of water when reheating if needed. You can prepare the vegetable broth ahead and refrigerate it, but grate and soften the cucumbers closer to serving for their freshest flavour.

Serving, storage, and make-ahead: Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Divide the soup among shallow containers so it cools quickly, then store at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Freeze cooled portions in airtight containers if desired; dairy may become slightly grainy after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to 74 °C, stirring. Do not boil vigorously after adding sour cream.

Contains milk from sour cream and celery from celeriac. Check the fermented-cucumber label for other declared allergens and follow its storage directions. Keep sour cream refrigerated and use clean utensils. Temper it with hot broth and add it off the boil. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at or below 4 °C; use within 3–4 days. Reheat to 74 °C while stirring, and avoid a vigorous boil after the cream is added.

Keep the soup hot for serving and stir before ladling.

Cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers and reheat them thoroughly.

Zupa Ogórkowa: Polish Sour Cucumber Soup

Tips for good results

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Polish National Dishes

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Czernina: Polish Duck Blood Soup with Dried Fruit