Soup is an important dish in Russia and most Russian meals start with soup. In fact the common type of service where various courses (salad, soup, main, desert) are brought sequentially was originally known as Service à la russe (‘service in the Russian style) and previously in Europe all dishes were placed on the table at once.
Borsch or beetroot soup, is probably the most famous Russian soup, although it is found with slight variations throughout Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and other Slavic countries. The standard version of borsch is the red version which is made with beetroot, although there is a green version too which has herbs, especially sorrel, instead of beetroot. Borsch can be made with or without meat, though it usually contains beef unless stated otherwise. Vegetarian borsch is usually called postnoy (‘постной’) meaning it is suitable for Lent
