Okroshka (Russian: окрошка) is Russian cold soup. The name originates from the Russian "kroshit" (крошить) which means to chop (into small pieces). The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (like cucumbers, spring onion, radish), boiled potatoes, eggs, ham with the beverage kvass. An alternate version uses light or diluted kefir instead of kvass.
The ingredients are chopped into small squares and are mixed with kvass just before eating. The ratio of chopped food to kvas is similar to that of cereal to milk. This allows the vegetables to preserve crunchiness. For that same reason, even though the ingredients are similar to those in the Russian salad, the taste of okroshka is nothing like that of the salad.
Okroshka is sometimes considered a perfect soup for summer time since it combines the refreshing taste of kvas and lightness of a salad. Most people prefer to top it off with a spoon of sour cream and Russian (bitter) mustard. Salt and sugar can be added.
