Polish National Dishes

Żur Żukowski (Żuków sour rye soup)

Name: Żur Żukowski (Żuków sour rye soup)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 4 generous servings, about 550–600 ml each
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 450 g boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 4–5 cm chunks; 1.2 L cold water; 100 g peeled onion, quartered; 80 g carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces; 50 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large pieces; 50 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large pieces; 10 g garlic, lightly crushed; 5 g fine salt to start, then adjust after adding sourdough; 1 g ground black pepper; 350 ml ready-to-use refrigerated rye żur sourdough, not concentrate; follow package directions; 25 g fresh horseradish, finely grated, or to taste; 5 g garlic, finely grated or crushed; 200 g pasteurized Polish-style white curd cheese (twaróg), cut into 2 cm cubes

Żur Żukowski is a regional sour rye soup associated with Żuków in Poland’s Lubelskie Voivodeship. The Ministry of Agriculture registered it on the Traditional Products List on 3 July 2015. Its local identity comes from a clear golden pork broth scented with garlic and horseradish, served with cooked pork shoulder and small cubes of white curd cheese (twaróg) that are lightly dried in an oven.

Polish National Dishes

A wide view of „Żur Żukowski (Żuków sour rye soup)“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 4 generous servings, about 550–600 ml each

Serving one quarter of the soup with pork and oven-dried twaróg

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 120 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Żur Żukowski (Żuków sour rye soup)

The Polish Ministry and Lubelskie regional sources describe an oral tradition, not a measured recipe. The recorded soup uses cooked meat, rye sourdough, garlic, horseradish and oven-dried white cheese; local accounts connect it with the interwar period, Easter and Sunday meals. This four-serving recipe is a measured home adaptation using ready-to-use refrigerated rye żur sourdough. It does not present its quantities or method as the one official formula. The ministry's description prefers pork from the local Puławska breed, though this home adaptation does not require it.

Use pasteurized twaróg and keep pork and dairy refrigerated at or below 4 °C. Simmer the pork until fork-tender and check that the thickest piece has reached at least 63 °C (145 °F); the long simmer continues well beyond that minimum. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat the soup throughout to 74 °C. The recipe uses ready-made sourdough, so it does not rely on a home fermentation process.

Tips for success

Use a refrigerated, ready-to-use rye żur sourdough, not a dry soup mix or concentrate; follow its label and measure 350 ml of prepared liquid.
Simmer the pork shoulder gently until fork-tender. Keep the broth at a quiet simmer so it stays clear rather than cloudy.
Strain the broth before adding the sourdough. Do not thicken it with extra flour; the soup should remain pourable.
Cut pasteurized twaróg into even 2 cm cubes and dry them at low heat until the surface is dry but not browned.
Add fresh horseradish near the end, then taste; its heat can vary. Adjust salt after adding the sourdough.
Serve the cheese in hot bowls so the cubes warm through without breaking apart in the pot.

Ingredients

Pork broth

450 g boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 4–5 cm chunks
1.2 L cold water
100 g peeled onion, quartered
80 g carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces
50 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large pieces
50 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large pieces
10 g garlic, lightly crushed
5 g fine salt to start, then adjust after adding sourdough
1 g ground black pepper

Sour rye finish

350 ml ready-to-use refrigerated rye żur sourdough, not concentrate; follow package directions
25 g fresh horseradish, finely grated, or to taste
5 g garlic, finely grated or crushed

Oven-dried cheese

200 g pasteurized Polish-style white curd cheese (twaróg), cut into 2 cm cubes

Method

Directions

Dry the cheese.Heat the oven to 100 °C. Arrange the twaróg cubes in one layer on a parchment-lined tray. Bake for 35–45 minutes, turning carefully once, until the outer surfaces feel dry but the cubes are not browned. Set aside; if not using immediately, cool and refrigerate within 2 hours.
Prepare the broth ingredients.Place the pork shoulder, cold water, quartered onion, carrot, parsley root, celeriac, crushed garlic, 5 g salt and black pepper in a 4 L pot. Bring slowly to a boil, skimming any foam from the surface.
Simmer the pork.Lower the heat, cover partly and simmer gently for about 90–120 minutes, until the pork is fork-tender. Check the center of the thickest piece with a clean thermometer; it must reach at least 63 °C (145 °F). Once the pork is tender and has reached that temperature, let it rest for at least 3 minutes before cutting or pulling it.
Strain the broth.Lift the pork onto a clean plate. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding the cooked vegetables. Cut or pull the pork into bite-sized pieces and keep covered while finishing the soup.
Add the rye sourdough.Bring the strained broth back to a gentle simmer. Stir in 350 ml prepared rye żur sourdough and simmer for 5 minutes, following the product label if it specifies a longer cook. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer; do not boil it hard.
Season and return the pork.Stir in the grated horseradish and 5 g garlic. Return the pork pieces to the soup and heat until steaming hot. Taste and adjust salt and horseradish. Keep the broth clear and pourable; do not add flour.
Serve with the cheese.Divide the soup and pork among four warm bowls. Add several oven-dried twaróg cubes to each bowl and serve hot. Fat-dressed boiled potatoes are a separately documented optional accompaniment and are not included in this recipe’s nutrition estimate.

Nutrition and allergens

Caloriesabout 390 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 24 g
Fatabout 22 g
Saturated fatabout 9 g
Carbohydratesabout 22 g
Fiberabout 2 g
Sodiumabout 850 mg

Contains rye and gluten from the sourdough, and milk from twaróg. Check the labels on the packaged zakwas and cheese for any additional declared allergens. Keep dairy refrigerated and do not leave perishable soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, storage and reheating: Serve the soup hot in four generous bowls. The Ministry’s description notes a customary bowl of about 0.3 L; this measured adaptation is larger, and it can be divided into smaller starter portions. A regional Lublin booklet mentions separately served boiled potatoes dressed with fat as a filling accompaniment; they are optional and excluded from the nutrition estimate.

Serving, storage and reheating: Make ahead: the pork broth and rye-sourdough soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool in shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate at or below 4 °C. Keep dried cheese separate and refrigerated. Reheat the soup throughout to 74 °C and add the cheese to bowls at serving.

Serving, storage and reheating: Refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat soup throughout to 74 °C; add fresh cheese cubes to each bowl if available.

Serving, storage and reheating: For best quality, freeze the soup without the cheese in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, reheat to 74 °C and add freshly dried twaróg when serving.

Estimate basis: one quarter of the measured soup; pork shoulder, twaróg fat/moisture, sourdough concentration and seasoning vary. Optional potatoes and their fat topping are not included.

Żur Żukowski (Żuków sour rye soup)

Tips for success

Ingredients

Pork broth

Sour rye finish

Oven-dried cheese

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

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