Polish · Soup
Potatoes, mushrooms and sour rye starter in a rustic soup.
Photo by MOs810 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized and converted to WebP for web display.
Zalewajka is a central Polish sour rye soup built around potatoes and żur starter. It is simpler and more potato-forward than many holiday żurek preparations.
Technique notes
Polish kitchen
Polish zalewajka combines potatoes, dried mushrooms and fermented rye starter in a tangy, satisfying soup.
Cover porcini with boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and chop mushrooms.
Cook onion in butter 7 minutes. Add potatoes, mushrooms, soaking liquid, stock and bay; simmer 15 minutes.
When potatoes are tender, stir in żur starter and marjoram. Simmer gently for 8 minutes.
Whisk sour cream with a ladle of soup, return it to the pot without boiling, then season and add dill.
Review ingredient labels for allergens and cross-contact. Follow the recipe’s handling notes, refrigerate perishable food promptly, and use an instant-read thermometer where a safe internal temperature is specified.
You are the test kitchen
Cook, taste and record what happened. These private notes stay in this browser; Gastromica does not receive or publish them.
Research EditionGood to know
Zalewajka is a central Polish sour rye soup built around potatoes and żur starter. It is simpler and more potato-forward than many holiday żurek preparations.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat gently without a hard boil.
Serve with rye bread; a halved hard-boiled egg is a common optional addition.
