Borscht on the front lines

The beet-based soup borscht, along with gumbo, gazpacho and goulash, is easily one of the great soups of the world. Moreover, Tom Birchard, owner of Veselka, a Ukrainian restaurant in New York (where they go through 5,000 gallons of the stuff every year) contends that there are as many versions of it as there are Eastern European grandmas.

No doubt each of those babas thinks she has the best recipe, but lately a question has been raised about who has the most authentic. That's because Russia, not content merely to lay waste to a peaceful neighboring country, kill innocent civilians living there, destroy a myriad of its cultural heritage sites (last count over 150) and threaten the stability of the entire world, wants to engage in a food fight as well.

Recently Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on its official Twitter account that borscht is one of Russia's most famous dishes. It is famous, but probably not a soul in Ukraine would agree that it is of Russian origin.

There's no question that Russians love borscht. Described by one foreign correspondent as "the common denominator of the Soviet kitchen," the soup was even sent to outer space with Russian cosmonauts lest they felt deprived while circling the earth. Back during the Soviet era, Leonid Brezhnev, whose 18-year term as Soviet leader was second only to Stalin's, was so fond of the soup that his wife continued to prepare it for him even after the couple moved into the Kremlin.

But the widespread popularity of borscht in Russia does not make it an inherently Russian dish any more than the popularity of pizza in this country makes that Italian staple American. Thus, Ukraine was quick to appeal to UNESCO to set the record straight, petitioning the organization to declare borscht an intangible part of Ukraine's cultural heritage, which it did last month.

Beets, now the principal ingredient in classic borscht, are what give the iconic dish, one of the world's great soups, its characteristic purple-ish red hue.Submitted by Tom Harte

The UN agency was right to side with Ukraine. Even some Russian historians say Ukraine is where borscht originated, and no less an authoritative source than the classic Soviet cookbook commissioned by Stalin identifies the national origin of borscht not as Russian but Ukrainian. Culinary scholars date the invention of borscht as far back as the 14th century, and they seem to agree that its origins are clearly in the country we know today as Ukraine.

It started out as a concoction made of common hogweed. Over the years other ingredients were added to the soup, replacing hogweed. Ultimately, beets became the principal ingredient, giving the soup its characteristic purplish-red color, though some borschts are not the color of beets at all. In Poland, for example, they favor a white borscht based on rye flour.

But despite variations in the soup, there is little question that, as UNESCO confirmed, Ukraine is borscht's home country, making credible the claim of one chef that on their wedding night Ukrainian newlyweds discuss only two things: sex and what the family recipe for borscht is going to be.

Clearly, Ukraine has won the war over borscht. We can only hope that it will be victorious in the larger war. In the meantime, eating borscht can be one small way to symbolize solidarity with that embattled nation.

Ukrainian borscht originally was made only out of common hogweed but has evolved over the years to include other ingredients such as cucumbers and beets.Submitted by Tom Harte

Chilled Summer Borscht

Not surprisingly, in the summertime Eastern Europeans serve cold borscht instead of the hot variety. This recipe, adapted from Ina Garten, is so elegant and flavorful it belies its simplicity. I've simplified it further by substituting canned beets for fresh ones, with no reduction in taste, but far easier.

• 3 cans (15 ounce each) whole beets
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 cups medium-diced seeded English cucumbers
• ½ cup chopped green onion, both white and green parts
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill

Drain beets, reserving 1-1/2 cups liquid. Whisk into liquid the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar and pepper. Cut beets into medium dice and add to liquid mixture along with cucumber, green onions, and dill. Cover and chill four hours or overnight. Season to taste and serve garnished with additional sour cream and dill.