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.

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 (1)

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 (2)

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 (3)

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 (14)

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

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.

What is the history of beet salad? ›

Beet salad was one of the most common salads in the 18th century. Beets were grown everywhere in Canada and they kept well. Beet salad was probably served at most suppers and banquets at Château St. Louis.

How long do shredded beets last? ›

As mentioned above, this shredded beet will easily keep in the fridge for 4 days. As long as it is properly refrigerated and not left on the counter the acid in the dressing, as well as the fact that nothing in the salad is cooked, will help keep it fresh and crisp.

Why add vinegar to boiling beets? ›

Directions. Place the beets in a large saucepan and add water to cover and the lemon juice or vinegar. This will help to keep the beets from bleeding. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

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.

What country eats the most beets? ›

The countries with the highest levels of sugar beet per capita consumption in 2019 were France (612 kg per person), Belarus (521 kg per person), and Belgium (432 kg per person).

What country is beets native to? ›

The wild beet occurs widely over the Mediterranean lands, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and the Near East. It is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean area, spreading eastward in prehistoric times, with a secondary region of development in the Near East.

What does beetroot do to your body? ›

Beets are high in fiber and promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. Having plenty of healthy bacteria in your digestive system helps fight disease and boost your immune system. Fiber also improves digestion and reduces the risk of constipation.

Do you peel beets before shredding? ›

Forget what you thought you knew about food prep: You don't HAVE to peel your vegetables (well, most of them, anyway).

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.

When should you throw out beets? ›

The beets will not spoil if left at cool room temperature for a few days, but they do best when refrigerated for up to 10 days. If they turn soft, discard them.

Why do you put black pepper in beetroot? ›

Black pepper contains a compound called piperine, which has been shown to enhance the bioavailability of certain nutrients and compounds that are contained in beetroot.

What is the Kashmiri name for beetroot? ›

Beetroot is a root vegetable also known as 'Beet' or 'Chukunder'.

How to eat beets for weight loss? ›

Q. How to use beetroot for weight loss?
  1. Adding diced or grated beetroot to salads or sandwiches.
  2. Roasting whole beetroots and serving them as a side dish or topping for a salad.
  3. Making a smoothie with beetroot, fruit, and vegetables.
  4. Adding beetroot to soups or stews for flavour and nutrition.
Nov 30, 2023

What is the best cooking method for beets? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

Should I boil beets before roasting? ›

You can roast beets without boiling, without foil, and without peeling! Simply slice the beets (a sheet of parchment will keep your cutting board clean), roast them with olive oil and seasonings, and then use the beets however you like.

Are beets healthier raw or roasted? ›

Raw beets contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than cooked beets (yes, you can eat beets raw!). Like many vegetables, the longer you cook beets—especially in water—the more the colorful phytonutrients leach out of the food and into the water.

Should beets be boiled before eating? ›

They can be roasted, boiled or steamed, and even eaten raw — thinly sliced or shredded beets add an interesting crunch to salads. Sometimes beets are peeled before cooking. They may also be scrubbed and cooked until tender with their skins on; the skins slip off fairly easily after cooling.

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