Solyanka
| |
| Alternative names | Selyanka |
|---|---|
| Type | Soup |
| Place of origin | Russia |
| Associated cuisine | Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian,[1] Georgian,[2] East German[3] |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Meat, fish, or mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, cabbage, smetana, dill |
Solyanka (Russian: соля́нка, initially селя́нка; [sɐˈlʲankə]) is a thick and sour soupofRussian origin.[4] It is a common dish in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states,[5] and other post-Soviet states and other parts of the former Eastern Bloc. It was one of the most reliably available dishes in the former East Germany (German: Soljanka).[3]
The original name "selyanka" can be translated to "settler's soup" in English. There are many theories about the origin of the name, but a common one is that the soup was often eaten after the wedding before the newlyweds "settled down" and started their new life together.[6] Other translations of "selyanka" include "food of the villager" or "villager’s stew". Later the name transformed to "solyanka" using the word "sol" (salt) as a reference to the soup's saltiness.[7]
Due to its astringent sour taste that is believed to relieve a hangover solyanka has also earned the nickname "hangover soup".[8]
There are three basic types of solyanka, with the main ingredient being either meat, fish, or mushrooms. Meat solyanka is the most popular. All three types of solyanka contain pickled mushroomsorcucumbers, cabbage, smetana and dill.[9]
Solyanka is also popular in the former East Germany (the current German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, along with the eastern half of Berlin), where it is commonly found in restaurants and available in canned form in grocery stores. (The German transliteration is Soljanka.) This practice stems from the era when the Soviet Army was stationed in the GDR, and Soljanka was found on the menu at many East German restaurants. The former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was raised in East Germany, is fond of solyanka.[11]
Solyanka is another piquant beef stew. Russians consider it Georgian because it has a bite, but actually solyanka is a Georgian adaptation of an originally Russian stew (the dill pickles give it away).
In many personal recollections East German gastronomy is described as limited and unpredictable, with only Soljanka and Letscho available with some reliability. Soljanka originated as a Russian or Ukrainian soup made with pickled mushrooms, cucumbers or vegetables, tomato, lemon and sour cream.
Originating in Russia, solyanka gets its name from its saltiness. With the Baltic States having been part of the Soviet Union for so long, there is a clear overlap in terms of cuisine and culture.
I'm particularly fond of solyanka (a meat and pickled vegetable soup), letcho (a Hungarian vegetable stew) and shashlik (a spicy kebab)
