Ogorkowa is one of our favourite Polish soups to cook at home.
Our authentic creamy Polish Ogorkowa Zupa recipe is quick and easy to make, ready to serve in under an hour.
You’ll love spooning through a bowl of homemade Ogorkowa featuring flavourful onions, pickles, cream and fresh dill.
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What Is Soup?
Soup is a liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but can also be served cold like gazpacho), that is prepared by combining meat or vegetables with stock or water.
Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavours are extracted, creating a rich broth.
Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Soups generally have more liquid (broth) than chunkier and heartier stews.
In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two groups: clear soups (bouillon and consomme) and thick soups (purees, bisques, veloutes).
Purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream.
History of Soup
Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers, such as clay pots. To boil the water hot rocks were used.
The word soup comes from French soupe (broth), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa (“bread soaked in broth”) from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop”, a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.
The word restaurant (meaning “restoring”) was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as a cure to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for eating establishments.
In America, the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, and it included several recipes for soups and bisques.
English cooking dominated early colonial cooking; but as new immigrants arrived from other countries, other national soups gained popularity. In particular, German immigrants living in Pennsylvania were famous for their potato soups. In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien, a refugee from the French Revolution, opened an eating establishment in Massachusetts called The Restorator, and became known as the “Prince of Soups”.
Travel to Poland by Cooking Ogorkowa Zupa at Home
I love traveling to Europe.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in Europe, from traditional markets to award winning restaurants.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the best Sour Rye Zurek Soup. I’ve embarked on culinary adventures at Eastern European restaurants in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Estonia, Latvia and Russia.
In Poland, I slurped hot bowls of Ogorkowa Zupa in Krakow’s finest restaurants including the dining rooms at Sheraton Grand Krakow and Hotel Kanonicza 22.
After you’ve enjoyed your first few sips, you’ll realize why a steaming bowl of Ogorkowa Dill Pickle Soup is a must-try taste in Poland!
Where To Eat Authentic Polish Ogorkowa
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Polish restaurant that serves a traditional Ogorkowa Soup.
Haven’t traveled to the Poland before? It may be helpful to first sample Creamy Polish Dill Pickle Soup at a local restaurant to better understand how the soup is served. You’ll get an idea of how much shredded pickle to add to each bowl and the desired sour flavour. You’ll also find inspiration on what to pair with homemade Ogorkowa including cabbage rolls, bigos, roasted beets, plump pierogi and Mizeria Creamy Polish Cucumber Salad.
In Toronto, popular Eastern European restaurants that may serve a traditional Ogorkowa Zupa include Cafe Polonez, Wvrst, Country Style Hungarian, Tennessee Tavern, Amber European and Chopin.
Many of the best Ukrainian/Polish restaurants in the city are located in Roncesvalles Village, located between The Junction and Parkdale. Visit in the Fall for Roncesvalles Polish Fest to enjoy a fabulous taste of Polish culture.
My Family Loves Ogorkowa Zupa
My family has a tradition of eating soup and salad for lunch on Sunday’s after getting home from church. Soup is such an simple and brainless meal to serve a busy family with kids.
My dad would often make cream of tomato soup and serve a bowl with grilled cheese sandwiches and pickles. Our family also loved slurping through bowls of Butternut Squash Soup, French Onion Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup.
Some of the fondest memories of my childhood spent in Toronto, Markham, Oakville and Muskoka are cozying up to a bowl of homemade soup with gourmet crackers, artisanal cheese and sourdough bread.
During October in Ontario we’d often visit popular Fall Fairs in Norfolk County, Niagara and Prince Edward County to go on fun rides, run through corn mazes and purchase fresh local fruits and vegetables at the peak of harvest season.
Pickles, carrot, potatoes, onions and dill are available in abundance year round in Canada but we especially love to serve this savoury soup during Thanksgiving and the chilly winter season.
Ogorkowa Zupa tastes rich and creamy, uniquely soured with fermented pickle juice. The hearty Polish soup is a popular late night remedy after drinking too many Pilsner Urquell.
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Ogorkowa Health Benefits
Our homemade Ogorkowa recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of leeks can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
An excellent source of vitamin A and the phytochemical beta-carotene, carrots help keep your eyes and bones healthy, and may help protect against several types of cancer.
Chicken is high in protein and provides B vitamins such as niacin, which helps your body access the energy in foods.
Packed with calcium and friendly probiotic bacteria, sour cream and yogurt help keep your bones strong and your gut healthy. Yogurt may also help reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and some types of cancer.
Dill is packed with micronutrients such as Vitamin A and C, responsible for healthy vision, skin and immune function.
Ogorkowa Zupa Recipe Tips
This healthy homemade soup is quick and easy to make at home. We’ve included a few tips for first time soup makers!
- Use a large cast iron dutch oven with a high rim to reduce splatter when cooking and pureeing the vegetables.
- We suggest using a high quality rubber spatula spoon when making soup so you can easily stir, scrape down the side of the pot and sip to check if it needs to be seasoned further with more salt before spooning into bowls.
- If you want to enjoy a super sour soup feel free to add additional pickle juice before serving.
- You can make vegetarian Ogorkowa by substituting chicken stock with vegetable broth.
- Regional varieties for Polish Dill Pickle Soup can also be prepared with garlic, parsley, celery, leek, green onion, parsnip, bay leaf or allspice.
- In restaurants, Ogorkowa Zupa is traditionally served with a slice of sourdough bread.
What To Serve with Our Polish Dill Pickle Soup
There’s nothing more comforting on a cold day then cozying up to a bowl of soup with a fresh salad, gourmet crackers, artisanal cheeses, sourdough bread, savoury muffins and homemade pickles.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party you might want to serve our easy Ogorkowa Zupa as an appetizer before serving heartier mains. We love serving this soup with Osaka Okonomayaki, Calgary Ginger Beef, Keto Jalapeno Poppers, Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu, Cheesy Polenta, Vegetarian Roti Canai Curry, Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Old School Cheese and Onion Pie, Green Onion Cake, Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs, Baked Chicken Cracklings, Homemade Savoury Pickle Pie, Indian Crepes, Vietnamese Crepe Bánh Xèo, Tartiflette Reblochon or Ricotta Gnocchi.
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Storing Ogorkowa Zupa
If you have leftover Ogorkowa you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. To reheat simply zap it in the microwave or simmer in a small saucepan on the stove.
We love doubling our soup recipes so can store leftovers in the freezer and save time on cooking in the kitchen. We suggest storing leftover soup in Pyrex freezer safe containers that have a snug lid so there’s not spilling. My mother often uses old glass pasta sauce jars to store soup in the freezer.
Be sure to let your soup reach room temperature before storing it in the freezer. If you add a hot jar of soup to a cold freezer it will significantly reduce the interior temperature and potentially spoil your food.
How To Make Polish Ogorkowa Dill Pickle Soup
Ogorkowa Zupa Polish Dill Pickle Soup
Equipment
- cheese grater
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
- whisk
- Wooden spoon
- French knife
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 3 cups Dill pickles shredded
- 1 Carrot diced
- 1 Spanish Onion diced
- 1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes diced
- 6 cups Chicken broth
- 1 cup Pickle juice
- 1/2 cup Whipping cream
- 2 tbsp Fresh dill chopped
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred dill pickles with a cheese grater. Squeeze the grated pickles with your hands, reserving the liquid for later. After you've squeezed out the pickle juice you should have just shy of 2 cups of grated cucumbers.
- Dice potatoes and carrots into small cubes (about 1/2-inch) and finely chop the onion.
- Heat the butter in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat.
- Add the shredded pickles, grated carrots, chopped onions and diced potatoes. Stir for 5-6 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add chicken stock and simmer while covered for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Take soup off heat and add pickle juice and cream, whisking it into the soup to avoid curdling.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper and add chopped dill.
- Serve hot and garnish with chopped dill, cracked pepper, sliced pickle and dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition
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