National Dish Latvia: Baltais Borschts (Recipe)
In this article
Baltais borščs is Latvia’s white borscht, and, confusingly for anyone expecting beetroot, there is none in it at all. Buttermilk or kefir is the base, thickened with soured cream and filled with boiled potato, hard-boiled egg, cucumber and an enormous quantity of dill. Served ice-cold, it is one of the best things about a Latvian summer.
About Baltais Borschts
Baltais borščs, “white borscht”, is a refreshing, creamy soured-milk soup with no beetroot whatsoever. Potatoes, boiled egg, fresh cucumber and generous amounts of dill make it an ideal summer dish. Unlike the familiar red borscht, the white version wins people over with its mild acidity and cool freshness, and it is served straight from the fridge on hot days.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 400 ml buttermilk or kefir
- 150 g soured cream
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- ½ cucumber, diced
- 1 spring onion, sliced into rings
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: 50 g diced smoked ham
Shopping for the ingredients
Kefir gives a sharper, more complex tang than buttermilk, though both work; Baltic shops sell excellent versions of each. Waxy potatoes hold their shape after boiling and dicing, which floury ones will not. Dill is not a garnish here but a main ingredient, so buy a large bunch.
Preparing the dish
Boil and cool the potatoes and the egg well in advance, everything in this soup must be properly cold before it is combined, or the result is unpleasantly lukewarm. Dice the potatoes and cucumber to a similar size, and chop the dill finely. Chill the buttermilk and soured cream too.
Step-by-step instructions
- Boil the potatoes until tender, then cool completely and dice.
- Hard-boil the egg, cool, peel and chop.
- Whisk the buttermilk with the soured cream until smooth.
- Stir in the diced potato, cucumber, egg and spring onion.
- Add the ham, if using.
- Fold through the chopped dill and season with salt.
- Chill for at least an hour and serve very cold.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The soup is naturally gluten-free. For a lactose-free version, lactose-free kefir and soured cream are widely available and work identically, the fermentation already reduces the lactose considerably in any case.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Leave out the ham for a vegetarian version, which is entirely standard. For a vegan soup, use a plant-based kefir or unsweetened soy yoghurt thinned with water, plus a vegan soured cream, and replace the egg with diced firm tofu, which mimics both the look and the texture surprisingly well.
More tips and tricks
Serve it genuinely cold; a lukewarm soured-milk soup is deeply unappealing. Salt it more than feels right, since cold dishes need more seasoning. And add the dill at the end rather than early, so it stays fresh and green.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Radishes add colour and crunch. Some households include grated horseradish for bite. A little chopped chives alongside the dill is common, and a squeeze of lemon sharpens the whole thing if your kefir is mild.
Ingredient substitutions
Plain yoghurt thinned with water can replace kefir. Ayran or a thin sour milk work equally well. Smoked salmon in place of ham makes a more luxurious version that suits the dill beautifully.
Drink pairing ideas
Cold kvass, the fermented rye drink, is the traditional Baltic accompaniment. A light lager works well. For something alcohol-free, sparkling water with lemon or a birch sap drink, which Latvians love in spring, suits it perfectly.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve baltais borščs in chilled bowls with extra dill scattered on top and half a hard-boiled egg placed in the centre. Dark rye bread and butter on the side is the standard partner. It looks best in white bowls, where the pale soup and green dill stand out.
A bit of history
Cold soured-milk soups appear throughout the Baltics, Poland and Belarus, developed in a region where soured milk was a daily product and summer heat made hot food unwelcome. The Latvian version is distinguished by its dill and its restraint. No beetroot, no elaborate additions. It offers a genuine window onto Latvian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Baltais Borschts
Baltais borščs is buttermilk and soured cream filled with potato, egg, cucumber and a great deal of dill, served ice-cold. No cooking beyond boiling a potato, no beetroot despite the name, and the most refreshing thing on a Latvian summer table.
