Polish Mushroom Soup (Zupa Grzybowa) Recipe

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 2 hrs 15 mins

Total: 2 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 6 to 8 servings

94 ratings

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
227	Calories
13g	Fat
24g	Carbs
5g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	227
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g	17%
Saturated Fat 6g	31%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 325mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 24g	9%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Protein 5g
Calcium 100mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This traditional hearty meatless soup, known as zupa grzybowa in Polish is a national culinary treasure. Mushroom hunters, who seek out borowiki mushrooms in fall, dry them for use year-round. The soup combines dried, reconstituted mushrooms, stock, and either cooked with barley or served with kluski (Polish noodles), finished with sour cream before serving.

This soup is representative of the sour soups popular with Eastern Europeans—the Slovaks, Rusyns, and Ukrainians have their machanka, the Romanians have their ciorba, the Poles and Russians have their barszcz, żurek, chłodnik, and so on.

4 ounces dried mushrooms (Polish borowiki or dried Italian porcini mushrooms)
3 1/2 cups water (hot)
3 quarts beef stock (regular-strength, or chicken or vegetable stock, the latter if fasting)
Optional: 1 cup pearl barley
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Garnish: sour cream
Garnish: chopped parsley
Optional: kluski noodles

Combine mushrooms and hot water in a large, heatproof bowl. Let stand for 1 hour. With your fingers, work mushrooms to release any grit. Let stand until very pliable, about 1 hour longer.
Lift mushrooms from the liquid. Cut mushrooms into large pieces and set aside. Reserve bowl of soaking liquid.
In a 5- to 6-quart pot, combine stock and chopped mushrooms. Pour reserved soaking liquid into the pot, taking care not to disturb grit in the bowl.
Rinse and drain barley and add to the pot, if using. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until barley is tender to the bite, about 1 hour.
If making the soup ahead, at this point cool, cover and chill up to overnight. Reheat to simmering and proceed with the next step.
In a medium bowl, mix sour cream with flour and temper by whisking in a little hot soup. Pour contents of the bowl into hot soup, whisking constantly on medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Adjust seasonings.
Remove from heat and ladle into warm bowls. Serve with kluski noodles, if desired. Garnish with sour cream and parsley, if desired.