Beating the heat: How Lithuanian cold soup wins over picky eaters

Sometimes, we feature highly original recipes that require a creative culinary sense to implement. Other times, we opt for traditional recipes. Today, I'm excited to share a recipe from this latter group. The classic Lithuanian cold soup needs only the familiar ingredients we have known for years.

The season for this kind of cold soup has already started, but the peak of interest in this tasty soup is just around the corner. So, be prepared for the upcoming heat waves because this cold, refreshing soup becomes like a saviour, and you can enjoy it endlessly. The health benefits are so well known that mentioning them is almost unnecessary – everyone knows that beet leaves are packed with nutritional values, all encapsulated within a simple culinary delight.

Is preparing Lithuanian cold soup difficult? Not at all. Below, I present an example recipe that I've personally tested. It's easy and pleasant to make, and the soup is simply divine. Even my little ones enjoy it, and that's saying something!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of beet leaves,
• a few radishes,
• 1 bunch of dill,
• 1 cucumber,
• 1/2 bunch of chives,
• 1 sizeable natural yoghurt,
• about 950 ml of buttermilk,
• salt, pepper,
• sugar,
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar,
• hard-boiled eggs.

How to prepare:

1. Peel the beets, cut them into cubes and transfer them to a pot. Add a small amount of water and boil for about 10 minutes.
2. After this time, add the chopped beet leaves to the beets. Add some water; the entire mixture should be soured with vinegar. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Then, add the chopped radishes and herbs, such as chives and dill, to the soup. At the end, add the finely chopped cucumber.
4. Finally, pour the buttermilk and yoghurt over everything and season with salt, sugar, and pepper. Serve with hard-boiled eggs cut in half. Enjoy your meal!