Ciorbă

Ciorbă (IPA: ['ʧor.bə]; from the Turkish word çorba) is a general Romanian word describing soups consisting of various vegetables and meat, similar to the borscht.

The sour taste of ciorbă is achieved by adding lemons or, more traditionally (since Romania is not rich in citrus fruit), borş (fermented wheat bran). Lovage is a frequent addition.

Different types of ciorbă include:

• ciorbă de burtă (tripe soup; see also shkembe)
• ciorbă de perişoare (meatball soup)
• ciorbă de legume (vegetable soup)
• ciorbă de ştevie (patience herb <Rumex patienta> soup)
• ciorbă de vită (beef soup)
• ciorbă de pui (chicken soup)

Recipe for sour soup with meatballs (Ciorbă de perişoare)

Mix well by hand:

• 2.5 lb ground pork (or ground pork and ground beef mix)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• ½ cup cooked rice
• 1 egg
• finely chopped fresh dill and parsley to your taste
• salt and pepper.

Make meatballs ca. 1 inch in diameter, roll them in flour, and set them aside. Fill about half of a 4 quart stock pot with cold water. Add to the water the following vegetables:

• 2 carrots shredded
• 1 parsley root
• ¼ celery root
• 1 onion or a few green onions
• a handful of leustean (lovage) herb, bruised (reserve for later)

When the vegetables are softened, add 1 cup of rice. After the rice is cooked, add the meatballs one by one. Let the meatballs cook through then add 1 chopped tomato, 1 chopped green pepper, parsley, and celery leaves.

Sour with fresh lemon juice to taste - start with the juice of one lemon (or brine from sauerkraut or a mixture of both). Add lovage herb. Simmer for 5 minutes.

These soups are meant to be reheated and taste better with age.

The sour soups are traditionally soured with borş, a liquid made out of wheat bran mixed with water and left to ferment. They are sometimes soured with sauerkraut juice. The soups may be traditionally thickened with a mixture of sour cream and/or egg yolks.

Recipe Notes

Something made in the USA that is similar to borş: Rejuvelac [1]

Real borş, a description, at the bottom of this page: [2]

Lovage may be found in food co-ops, your garden, or health food stores. You may have to buy a potted plant of it. Celery leaves, seeds and roots are a poor, but acceptable substitute for the flavor. Lovage tastes like extremely pungent celery.

External Links

A recipe for Ciorba which uses bacon [3]

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