Earlier in his cooking process, Vorobiov had added a tablespoon of white vinegar to his soup. Just before serving, he adds one more, along with some sugar. "This imparts a wonderful sweet-sour flavor. It also maintains the pretty pink color of the beets."
Vinegar, then, is Vorobiov's version of kvass. As with everything about this most contentious of dishes, opinions vary on the best way to add this astringent kick to borscht. The root of the Russian word, kvass, means "to ferment."
"The traditional method is to cut up beets, and put them in water with a piece of sour rye bread, and let it sit for a couple days," said Smedly's Williams. "It's a little like letting bread rise, as the yeast begins a fermentation process."
There are acceptable shortcuts, however. In his influential How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman recommends adding lemon juice to borscht. And then there's Alexander Kruglov, curator of sculpture at the Hermitage. He's not a chef but, like any good Russian, has exceedingly firm opinions on borscht.
On my last day in St. Petersburg, I went back to the museum, where I met Kruglov in the Greco-Roman galleries. When I mentioned the soup at Davidoff, and its inclusion of vinegar and sugar, Kruglov stopped dead in his tracks. He appeared horrified, as if I'd just knocked over a 2,000-year-old vase.
"That chef should be shot!" he proclaimed. "You never put sugar or vinegar in borscht! If you want a touch of sweetness, add red pepper. For tartness, only the acid from a fresh tomato will do."
Kruglov glared at me, obviously wanting to know he'd been heard. The Battle of Borscht continues.
Russian Borscht
Serves 12
2 1/2 pounds soup meat (ham or beef, with a marrow bone, if possible)
9 to 10 cups boiling water
2 bay leaves
1/2 head of medium-sized cabbage, sliced not too fine
8 peppercorns (or freshly ground pepper, to taste)
6 tablespoons butter (divided use)
2 onions, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, with leaves, sliced
8 to 10 medium-sized beets
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups raw, chopped tomatoes (skinned), or the same amount of drained, canned tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
chopped parsley, to taste (at least 1 tablespoon)
chopped dill, to taste (at least 1 tablespoon)
salt, to taste
sour cream, to taste
