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Rassolnik (russian: рассольник) is a traditional Russian soup made from pickled cucumbers, pearl barley, and pork or beef kidneys. A vegetarian variant of rassolnik also exists, usually made during
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
. The dish is known to have existed as far back as the 15th century, when it was called ''kalya''. Rassolnik became part of the common Soviet cuisine and today it is also popular in Ukraine and Belarus. A similar dish is common in Poland, where it is known as ''
zupa ogórkowa Cucumber soup is a traditional Polish and Lithuanian soup (Polish: ( sometimes simply ogórkowa). It is made from sour, salted cucumbers and potato. Occasionally rice is substituted for the potatoes. Cucumber soup is also any soup using cuc ...
'' (literally ''cucumber soup''). The key part of rassolnik is the ''
rassol Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called a ...
'', a liquid based on the juice of pickled cucumbers with various other seasonings. It is a favourite hangover treatment.


Etymology

The word Rassolnik originates from the Russian word рассольник (English: ɐˈs(ː)olʲnʲɪk , consisting of рассол (rassol,” brine”) + - ник (-nik). The word refers to a Russian soup made of pickled cucumbers.


Ingredients

The ingredients for Rassolnik consist of meat, either chicken meat, or pork or beef kidneys, potatoes, pearled barley, carrot, onion, pickles, dill, and smetana, a sour cream.


History

Rassalnik is considered one of the traditional dishes in Russian cuisine, though it has been mentioned in Russian culinary books starting from the 18th century. The origins of Rassolnik lie in other soups that consist of fermented ingredients, such as ''Kalya'' made with chicken or fish meat, roe, pickled cucumbers, or pickled lemons and lemon brine.  Rassol, or brine, has been widely used in traditional Russian cuisine. The mentions of Kalya can be found in Writings of Royal Cuisine (Russian: “Росписи царским кушаньям’), which describes the ingredients of Kalya as, “For a Kalya with a lemon brine, and chicken, add a single lemon. For a Kalya with a cucumber brine, and chicken, add 10 cucumbers”. Other mentions of rassol in traditional Russian cuisine can be found in Notes on Muscovite Affairs (Russian: Записках о Московии) by
Sigismund von Herberstein Siegmund (Sigismund) Freiherr von Herberstein (or Baron Sigismund von Herberstein; 23 August 1486 – 28 March 1566) was a Carniolan diplomat, writer, historian and member of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Council. He was most noted for his extensi ...
, a Carniolan diplomat in the 16th century. The writing states, “When they were eating roasted swans, they garnered it with brine, alongside the salt and pepper. Moreover, a sour milk has also been served”. During the
Kievan Rus’ Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
period,  aside from Kalya and Solyanka made with pickled cucumber brine, other spicy and sour soups have also been created to be used as hangover treatments. The exact time period of when Rassolnik became as it is today is unknown. The soup is widely mentioned in many culinary books from the 19th century, though the first mentions of Rassolnik can be found in the culinary books from the middle of the 18th century. Originally Rassolnik, based on the Vladimir Dal works, was referred to as a meat pie with a filling of pickled cucumber. Rassolnik is also mentioned in
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
’s work ''
Dead Souls ''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and adv ...
'', where one of the lines about Rassolnik in the book states, "Rassolnik is a pie with chicken and buckwheat, with pickle-juice poured into the filling." Other mentions of Rassolnik before it was referred to as a type of soup or pirog, can be found in the
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (Russian: Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона, abbr. ЭСБЕ, tr. ; 35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume ...
, which refers to Rassolnik as a type of platters or bowls that have been used to serve the dish. During the Soviet period, Leningrad Rassolnik, consisting of beef kidneys became widely popular. The inventor of this soup variation is Nikolai Alexandrovich Kurbatov, who invented multiple dishes during the Soviet period. The Leningrad Rassolnik is cooked in chicken broth, with beef kidneys added, and the new additions to the recipe were potatoes and carrots, and pearl barley could now be replaced with rice.


See also

*
Borshch Borscht () is a sour soup common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word "borscht" is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which giv ...
*
Shchi Shchi ( rus, щи, p=ɕːi, a=Ru-щи.ogg) is a Russian-style cabbage soup. When sauerkraut is used instead, the soup is called sour shchi, while soups based on sorrel, spinach, nettle, and similar plants are called green shchi (russian: зел ...
* Solyanka *
List of Russian dishes This is a list of notable dishes found in Russian cuisine. Russian cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Russian Empire. The cuisine is diverse, with Northeast European/Baltic, Caucasian, Central Asian, Siberian, East ...
* List of soups


References

{{Soups Russian soups Ukrainian soups Soviet cuisine Vegetable soups Pickle dishes