permaculture

[mIEKAL aND <dtv@mwt.net>]

My partner Camille who is from Romania has made this a number of  
times,  its quite good when you get used to the flavor.  This is what  
the Romanians also call Borsh (no beets in Romanian borsh).  Below is  
a translation of how to make the fermented broth.  You can then use  
this to make any number of different soups.  Dill, celeriac & lovage  
would be standard herbs to use with this.


Borsh recipe:
1 lb/500 g wheat bran, 2/3 lb/300 g corn meal, 1 oz/30 g yeast, one  
lemon, 2-3 slices bread
For this you need a 5-6 quart non-metal & non-plastic container. Put  
bran and corn meal in. Add yeast (or solid leftovers from previous  
batch of borsh). On top of this, add boiling or very hot water to the  
top. After it cools off, add one sliced lemon (with peel), as well as  
the bread. Then, mix this concoction every morning and evening with a  
long-handled wooden utensil. Taste it after a few days, and if it is  
sour enough, place container in a cool place so that the liquid  
clears. The solid stuff will sink to the bottom. Then put the clear  
liquid in bottles and keep them in a cool place. The solids are to be  
kept in the same container and after you finish the borsh in the  
bottles, you can start again. You only add boiling water on top of it  
& the herbs (for rich flavor). Note: Don 't leave the clear borsh to  
sit on the solids or it will turn bitter.



On Jan 2, 2007, at 3:50 AM, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:

> Earlier, there was a thread on fermented foods. I ran across this  
> reference to fermented wheat bran
> and wondered how it is made and in which countries it is in common  
> use and how used:
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6222615.stm
> BBC NEWS | Europe | Coming up: Food from the new EU
>
> ROMANIA
> Ciorba de perisoare: Soup with meatballs. The soup can be sour -  
> made with fermented wheat bran, lemon juice, or the
> liquid from sauerkraut. It also contains vegetables such as carrot,  
> parsnip and chopped tomatoes, and can be flavoured
> with celeriac, lovage and dill.
>
> Sounds delicious and uses unusual vegetables.
> --