Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2024)

Zesty and flavorful, the Polish beetroot salad can be made with just a few ingredients. Serve it cold as buraczki, or serve the polish beets warm as buraczki zasmażane. Either way, you’ll love it!

Did you know that the world’s first beet sugar plant was built by the King of Prussia in the Silesian region of Western Poland? But that’s not all that beets have to do with Poland.

Polish shredded beets salad is one of the most popular add-ons to any dinner. In fact, it’s so popular that you’ll find many stores selling it too, with or without apples. It’s as popular as dill pickles and fried cabbage salad!

You can serve Polish mashed beets with kotlet schabowy or any other meat. Buraczki recipe is surprisingly easy. You don’t need any cooking skills to make this delicious Polish beet salad.

In Poland, you can either have your beets hot or cold. The recipes for both versions are very similar, so you will find two of them in this post.

Types Of Polish Beet Salad Recipe

Buraczki Recipe [Cold Beets Salad]

This is the basic recipe for buraczki. When you pasteurize the salad in the jar, you can keep it like that all winter and use anytime you want.

If you add some horseradish, you will get a spicier version of buraczki called ćwikła (chweek-wah).

Buraczki Zasmażane Recipe [Warm Beets Salad]

When you warm up the basic Polish beet salad and add a bit of flour and butter, you will get buraczki zasmażane.

Easy to guess, Polish housewives wanted to spice up the cold salad, so they added the famous zasmażka to it.

Buraczki zasmażane should be served fresh, it’s not recommended to pasteurize them. The flour and fat won’t make the salad last long.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (1)

Tips For Making Polish Beet Salad

Peel the beetroots before or after cooking.

It’s totally up to you, however, peeling is slightly easier when the beets are cooked.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2)

You can shred or mash the beets.

It’s ok to either shred, mash, or even blend the beets. The taste will be exactly the same.

Every Polish housewives have their own way of making buraczki.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (3)

Usually, ćwikła [cold beet salad with horseradish] and buraczki zasmażane [warm beet salad] are served mashed, whereas the basic cold beet salad is usually made of the shredded beets.

More Tips For Making Polish Beetroot Salad – Cold Or Hot

  • You can either chop the beetroot fine or grate them!
  • Some families add one chopped onion or dill pickle to this recipe.
  • Use gloves so that your fingers and nails don’t get colored.
  • Don’t add horseradish to the hot buraczki salad.
  • You can add more flavor to the buraczki zasmazane recipe by baking the beets for an hour before frying.
  • Fry the warm buraczki with lard instead of butter. It’s delicious!
  • You can also add honey to the warm buraczki to make it sweeter!
  • Add the beetroot salad on top of fried or stewed apples and serve!
  • Or simply serve with sour cream (see my recipe for Polish beet salad with sour cream!

FAQs About Buraczki – Polish Mashed Beets Salad

Why Is This Beetroot Salad So Popular?

Beetroot contains many vitamins and minerals that are good for the body. Beetroot is one of the staple foods in Poland and many popular Polish dishes are made with beetroot. So this recipe is popular too!

What Other Polish Recipes Use Beetroot?

Other Polish recipes that are made with beetroot are:

  • Zakwas Buraczany – a beetroot drink
  • Chlodnik – cold beet soup
  • Barszcz n Botwinka – young beetroot soup
  • Barszcz Ukrainski – Ukrainian style beetroot soup

Can I Make Polish Beetroot Salad A Day Earlier?

Yes, you can make this beetroot salad a day earlier. It tastes better the next day.Store it in an airtight container and consume in 3 to 4 days.

Do not freeze beetroot salad.

If you want, you can pasteurize the beetroot salad in a jar and store it for many months up to as long as a year.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad – Buraczki Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (4)

Zesty and flavorful, the Polish beetroot salad can be made with just a few ingredients. Serve it cold as buraczki, or serve the polish beets warm as buraczki zasmażane. Either way you'll love it!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

Basic Buraczki Recipe Ingredients

  • 5 average red beets
  • 1-2 tbsps of vinegar or fresh lemon juice
  • ½finely grated horseradish root [optional, only if you want to have ćwikła]
  • salt, pepper

Warm Buraczki Recipe [Basic recipe+ the following ingredients]

  • 2 tbsps of butter
  • 1 tbsp of flour

Instructions

How To Make The Basic Polish Beet Salad?

  1. Place the beets in the pot, cover with water, and cook until soft.
  2. Drain the beets and leave to cool off.
  3. When the beets are cold, peel and shred them. [Use disposable gloves if you don't want to end up with red hands]
  4. Add vinegar/ lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
  5. [Optionally] Pasteurize the beet salad in jars. Click here to learn how to do it.

How To Make Buraczki Zasmażane [Warm Beet Salad]?

  1. Melt the butter in the pan. Add the flour and cook for a while, on the low heat.
  2. Add shredded beets.
  3. Serve warm!

Notes

  1. If you want to keep your hands clean, use disposable gloves when peeling and shredding beets. Otherwise, you will end up with red hands that will be hard to wash.
  2. Traditionally, horseradish is only added to cold beet salad. If you want to have your buraczki warm, skip adding the horseradish.
  3. If you don't have time to shred the beets, you can also mash or even blend them. The taste will be the same.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 243mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (15)

Did you enjoy this Polish shredded beets salad buraczki recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do I need to peel beets before shredding? ›

If you're wondering if you peel beets before chopping, it depends on your preferences. Beet skin is edible, but it has a tougher texture than the flesh and tends to hold onto dirt even if you clean your beets well. Many people prefer to remove the skin before cutting fresh beets.

Is beetroot popular in Poland? ›

Beetroot. Most commonly associated with red borsht and its variations, beetroot is also a common 'veg' in the classic 'meat and two veg' Polish obiad. We usually grate it and either eat warm (thickened with a roux, and maybe some sour cream) or cold, as a slaw (with grated apples and/or onions).

How long does shredded beets last in the fridge? ›

As mentioned above, this shredded beet will easily keep in the fridge for 4 days.

Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole.

Can you eat raw shredded beetroot? ›

You can also eat beetroot raw, peeled and grated into salads and slaws, or finely shaved as a 'carpaccio'. Wash and trim the leaves to use in salads and or as a garnish.

Can you eat grated beets raw? ›

Beets are not only nutritious but also incredibly delicious and easy to incorporate into your diet. You can juice, roast, steam, or pickle them. For a convenient option, you can purchase them precooked and canned. You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated.

What are 3 popular foods in Poland? ›

Among popular Polish national dishes are bigos [ˈbiɡɔs], pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔɡʲi], kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy [ˈkɔtlɛt sxaˈbɔvɨ] (pork loin breaded cutlet), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔ̃pkʲi] (stuffed cabbage leaves), zrazy [ˈzrazɨ] (roulade), zupa ogórkowa [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva] (sour cucumber soup), zupa grzybowa [ˈzupa ɡʐɨˈbɔva] (mushroom ...

What is the most favorite food in Poland? ›

Pierogi. Pierogi are filled dumplings containing either meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Pierogi is undoubtedly Poland's most famous and simple comfort food. But after tasting one of these delicious filled dumplings, you're likely to find yourself craving more.

What is the most popular vegetable in Poland? ›

Tomatoes

How do you know if beets have gone bad? ›

Like another root vegetable, discard the beets immediately if you notice any changes in color or texture. Soft spots and color changes indicate they are no longer safe to consume. If the beets have an off smell or slimy texture when you cook them, this is another indication that it's time to throw them out.

How do you preserve shredded beets? ›

The best way to store cut beets is in a container lined with a moist paper towel in the refrigerator. With this method, cut beets will last for around five days, giving you plenty of time to add them to a salad, dip, or smoothie.

Can dogs eat beets? ›

Yes! Beets are safe for your dog to eat in moderation and are a healthy source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, manganese, and potassium. These vitamins and minerals are good for your dog's digestion and immune system as well as a healthy skin and coat. While it's rare, some dogs can be allergic.

What is the tastiest way to eat beets? ›

Delicious. Roasted with goat cheese. – The classic, all-time favorite preparation. Roast beets until they are tender and juicy, then eat them with some spicy greens and piquant goat cheese.

Why add vinegar when boiling beets? ›

Place the beets in a large pot and add water to. cover and 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar. This. will help to keep the beets from bleeding.

What makes beets taste better? ›

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

Is it better to peel beets? ›

Most people do peel beets, because the skin is a bit unattractive and can be dirty even after a good scrub. But beet skins are rich in nutrients and perfectly fine to eat too.

Should beets be peeled before or after cooking? ›

Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

How do you peel and shred beets? ›

For raw beets: Use a peeler just as you would on a potato. For cooked beets: Rub off the skin with a paper towel or with your fingers under running water. To juice a beet: Finely grate one bunch beets (no need to peel) on a surface lined with cheesecloth on top of wax paper.

Can you eat beets with skin on? ›

Every part of the beet—from the stem to the bulb—is edible. If you're using the whole beet, be sure to wash it well before cooking to get rid of any fertilizers or dirt. You can peel the beet before cooking or eat it with the skin on. Beets have a distinctive, earthy flavor.

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