Lentorama 2020: 40 Days of Food

Day 6: zurek

Unlike yesterday's entry, which in its early days was considered a "dry soup" to start a meal, today's entry is an actual soup from Poland. While it's possible to find it year round now, it is most associated with Lent and Easter.

Unlike soups that use a meat or vegetable stock as its base, zurek uses a liquid made by soaking rye bread in water, creating a started called zakwas (check here if you want to take a shot at making it yourself). Traditionally the soup includes sausage, herbs, and hard boiled eggs, though that can vary depending on when you serve it (no meat on Fridays during Lent, of course).

According to this list of Polish Easter foods, zurek is often consumed with herring, another common Lenten food in Poland. There's also a tradition of having a funeral for zurek after Easter is over, either by burying a pot of it or dumping it on the ground. This reminded me a little bit of the fish funeral in Ireland, as people are sick enough of eating something to want it gone and buried.