My first post about food on this blog is going to be about something I find quite interesting: how our taste preferences change as we get older.
When I was younger, I simply couldn’t understand how anyone could voluntarily choose to eat borscht or soup. Why would you order a bowl of hot soup when there were so many other things to eat?
Well, things have changed.
Today, I absolutely love soups and borscht — and I enjoy all kinds of them. Meatballs, meat, no meat at all, light soups, thick soups, familiar recipes and completely new ones. Even spicy tom yum has become one of my favorites to try.
These days, I’m happy to try almost any kind of soup or borscht. And, honestly, I don’t think there is much better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold northern day.
But this raises an interesting question: what exactly is borscht?
A quick note about borscht
Borscht is a traditional Eastern European and Slavic dish with many regional variations. It is commonly made with beetroot, cabbage and broth or water, with meat or without it. One theory also connects the name borscht with hogweed, a plant that was once used to make an early version of the soup.
In fact, many Slavic countries have their own versions of borscht and other traditional soups. And I think that is exactly what makes them so interesting.
No matter which version you try, it is likely to taste a little different. Some people make their borscht more aromatic and spicy. Others make it hotter and add more seasoning. And some prefer a simpler, lighter, meat-free version.
That’s what I like about it. Everyone has their own way of making it, so there is always something new to discover.
I suppose I eventually came around to the tradition myself and learned to love this wonderful dish.
Maybe that’s one of the funny things about getting older. Sometimes the foods we couldn’t understand when we were young suddenly become the foods we enjoy the most.
And What About Tom Yum?
Lately, I’ve also developed a real taste for tom yum.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, I sometimes order it at a local restaurant called Daikon. There is just one problem: their tom yum is extremely spicy.
In my opinion, it is almost too spicy. If I were making it, I would probably tone down the heat a little. That way, the chili wouldn’t overpower the actual flavor of the soup.
Still, if your goal is simply to warm yourself up on a cold day, it’s a pretty great choice.
And maybe that’s what I love about soups in general. They can be completely different from one another, but there is always a perfect moment for them.
Especially when it’s cold outside and you have a steaming bowl of something hot and aromatic in front of you.