injunjane

Yes, this is how it is actually pronounced in Ukrainian - борщ (borshch)!
I would never call it 'soup', it would be the same as calling kuskus 'porridge' or hamburger 'a bun with minced and fried meat'.

But when you prepare it, yes, it's actually a sort of hot soup. Although normally the true Ukrainian borshch is based on meat broth with pieces of meat, my favourite version is vegetarian, based on bean broth (but you can also use mushroom or even chicken broth for it).

So, for about 2.5-3 liters of vegetarian borshch you'll need:

- bean broth, take a cup of any kind of beans and boil them in 2.5L of water with a half-teaspoon of salt until almost ready (soft but not falling apart)
- fresh cabbage (white, not red!), chopped in thin straw slices
- 3-4 average size peeled potatoes (you can slice them or chop into cubes)

When the broth is ready, put the cabbage and potatoes in and boil until ready (completely soft). Do not take the beans out.

While these are boiling, prepare the fried part:

- one middle-size red beet, peeled and chopped into thin straws or cubes (actually, the best borshch I ever prepared I made in New England, USA - they have exceptionally red and juicy beets there. The redder, the better)
- one middle-size carrot, peeled and chopped the same way as beets
- one small onion or a half of a big one, chopped into fine pieces
- sunflower oil (the amount depends on the amount of your fried vegetables, maybe 1-2 spoons but it should not be too oily)
- pepper, salt, garlic

Stew these in a frying pan (oil only, no water!) on a slow fire until the beets and carrots soften. Then add 2-3 large spoons of tomato paste (I often add ketchup, but be careful, the taste of this will determine the taste of your borshch). My mom sometimes puts both tomato paste and fresh tomatoes, but that depends on what you like more. Stew a bit more to get completely soft vegetables.

CAUTION! Stir the fried vegetables all the time, if you burn them even a bit - it's totally spoiled, throw away and start anew.

After the boiling vegetables are ready, add the fried ones (taking they are ready, too) into the saucepan. Stir, add pieces of fresh chopped garlic and boil for another 2-3 min.

Serve with fresh chopped dill or parsley and, of course, SMETANA! (sour cream which we Ukrainians put pretty much in everything)