How Russian Borscht Became a Hong Kong Staple
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2024
- Go to any Western-style diner in Hong Kong, and you’ll be served a dish called Russian soup. It’s a Chinese take on borscht, and how it ended up in Hong Kong is a story of politics, migration, and cultural adaptation.
We let a couple of Eastern Europeans try out the dish, and tell you how it all came to be.
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0:00 What is Hong Kong borscht?
0:50 How it’s made
1:45 How did borscht end up in Hong Kong?
3:40 How immigrants created their own style of Western cuisine in Hong Kong
If you liked this video, we have more stories about classic Hong Kong dishes, including:
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Producers: Gavin Huang and Tiffany Ip
Videographer and Editor: Joel Roche
Music: Audio Network
Hong Kong legit lowkey has food adaptations from like every culture. damn.
They turn it to their own tho and not to mention a lot of western things were adapted from the British since colonisation. Nonetheless, the adaption and original versions taste amazing
I love hong kong style curry!
Talk normally nigga
British : Russia? Aaah east...
Chinese: Russia Aaah west...
haha good point!
Culturally European, so west, isn't it?
@@jessicag630 idk, the russians aren't exactly european
@@jessicag630 They're the "not quite" zone for both easterners and westerners
@@TheButterMinecart1 Umm.. Russians are European. They just so happen to rule over Siberia, which is in Asia.
My family is Shanghainese. My father's side from Shanghai, moved to HK and he grew up there from a teenager to his 30's then settled in the US. I grew up eating borscht exactly like this. It was my favorite growing up. I always wondered why my family would make this soup. Super interesting to see the history.
One of our team members is also from Shanghai. She said the same thing about this soup! 😄
I grew up eating this style of borscht too :)
Same with my family (Shanghai > HK) and we have the soup, except ours were made with pork instead of beef. I guess more adaptation. :)
@@Goldthread Is "Shanghainese" the standard demonym for Shanghai?
If not, why go for Shanghainese?
Why not just Shanghai?
It's Boston Clam Chowder and New York Cheesecake after all, not Bostonian Clam Chowder or New Yorker Cheesecake
Just say Shanghai cuisine or Shanghai chefs, no need for the "Shanghainese" demonym
My dad moved from Nanjing to HK at seven and settled in the Netherlands at 20. He makes it too, sometimes with beef sometimes with pork. If there is leftover rice he'll put that in the next day
I am from Hong Kong. When I told Russians that in Hong Kong, we use tomatoes in Borscht, they were like..."what"? But that's what it is. China doesn't (or didn't) have beetroots, so they were substituted with tomatoes. Until I was in my 30's, I didn't know real Borscht was made with beetroots with a dollop of sour cream. The interesting thing is that just last week, I decided to try out Russian-Ukrainian Borscht by looking up the recipe online and making it in my kitchen. It is obviously very different in taste and texture, and is a completely different dish. Hong Kong-style Borscht is tomato soup with lots of vegetables. As for Hong Kong-style Western cuisine, it really belongs to its own category. Some of our favourite dishes like "Portuguese chicken" actually have nothing to do with any country in Europe, but were invented by Cantonese in Macau. Hong Kong-style "French toast" is nothing like French toast made in France. In a way, this is just the reverse of Western-style Chinese food found in the US and other Western countries. People in China don't eat anything like Western-style Chinese food, so they are really in their own category.
Yes there's plenty of authentic western restaurants now in HK but HK-style western food is an entity of its own, and should be carried on as a tradition. This sort of adaptation could only happen back in the day when communication wasn't instantaneous and food and culture had a chance to develop, evolve and spin into something new.
Yes. Ironically HK-style western food would be equivalent to "Chinese-American" food in North America, but HK-style western food isn't looked down upon as inauthentic, just different.
@@dimsum81 Very good point!
@@dimsum81 Simple. That is because many Chinese people have a great deal of entitlement. If another country copies elements of Chinese foods, but not fully, then Chinese people feel they need to attack these Chinese-American foods. Meanwhile, most Westerners could really care less if another country wants to copy their foods. Even if the copied Western foods taste very different from their memory, most Westerners will try to say something nice.
@@Chemicalkinetics You're talking straight out of your bum, mate. Nobody goes to a 茶餐廳 with "I want to eat Russian food" in mind. These adaptations are vaguely termed "Western food", and are appreciated at a similarly vague standard. "Western" already being a vague term here. On the other hand, Chinese-American "Chinese" food actually markets itself as Chinese cuisine ("Hey, wanna grab some Chinese for dinner?"). "Chinese", meaning "of China", with China being an actual, specific country. And I really don't know what you base your anecdotal observations on. "Most Westerners will try say something nice?" Is that from a Harvard survey or what? "Simple"? More like, you're ignorant, mate.
@@dimsum81
Probably because it has its own distinct set of flavors and techniques that have been developed for a long time, so it comes out as a fusion and very distinct.
American takes on traditional dishes, on the other hand, seem to just change the existing ingredients.
Pizza? Add more cheese!
Hamburger? Add cheese!
Taco? Flour tortilla!!
There's no base-line "American" cuisine for foreign foods to mix with.
If Korean food went to Germany, for example, they'd probably adopt kimchi and turn it into a more German sauerkraut.
Now explain the history of French Toast in Hong Kong.
brah yes !! curious too.
It's the same story except it's British rich aristocrats instead of Russian refugees. People like to joke about Brits/Americans being the same people, but Brits and French were the same people in the medieval ages in the form of Duchy of Normandy so the cuisines are mixed a lot
LIGHTSPEED RESCUE make a video pls, your explanation is too quick. I need to spend more time in the internet while at home.
French Toast was invented in Hong Kong by Bruce Lee in the early 1930's. The Hong Kong people just called it "Toast" until it was stolen by the French. Then we referred to it as "The French stole our Toast" but it was later shortened to just "French Toast".
Then we all lived happily ever after until the Chinese Government and Carrie Lam F'ed Hong Kong.
@@SirPhillyLeong are you stupid or just being a troll?
In the south of Russia borscht is cooked with tomatoes and without beets, it is called "kazachiy borscht". It was a traditional dish of the steppe Cossacks. Many of them emigrated in the 1920s after the revolution.
Would this also extend to the borscht found in Ukraine?
@@AppleMacGeek No, Ukrainian borscht has beets. There's also Moscow borscht, but we prefer not to talk about it.
Ukrainian borscht has many varieties, beetroot-free as well. That's to add, that most of Kuban cossacks have Ukrainian roots.
@@Lynxlikesnake
If a soup doesn't have beets in it, can you really call it borscht?
@@LancesArmorStriking Of course. Exempli gratia green borscht
Hong Kong style Western food is very special and needs to be preserved
I spent 20 years in Shanghai and I need to say it’s my first time learning the story behind this dish, 罗宋汤. It’s always a bit sour and it also comes with red-colored sausage that is supposed to be a Russian-style sausage, with beef and vegetables. Actually this is one of the most common soup served at school for children, kind of a signature dish in Shanghai. If you ask us Luo Song Tang (罗宋汤）we would smile:)
My Mum used to make this soup a lot when I was younger. She always called it "Russian Soup". I would say "Borscht? Then where are the beets?" "What beets?" Now, you've triggered some memories with this video, of which I'm thankful. Fantastic video and interview. I'll have to make this for her in the next few days. Maybe for Chinese New Year.
Such an underrated channel. Needs much more views!
i started binge watching after finding out their channel lol. great production
Thank you both!!
That's funny bc ive been drinking this soup here my whole life and thought it was just tomato soup from the west lmao
Always so cool to learn the origin. And history of food! Good job again goldthre-ad!
Fantastic history of this soup migration to Hongkong. Love to see what else is on their menu. Everyone Have a Fantastic Day.
This channel has been helping me understand lots of things about HK and the neighbouring nations. Fantastic work, Gold Thread! Am using your videos in my class!
I grew up in Shanghai eating this. Now I am in the US and I still cook it about once a month.
If is originated in sh. Moved to hk after 1949.
I love practicing my cantonese with these vids. Keep them coming :)
I like the way you combine history with restaurant interview...making the idea more supportive and informative..
Love the history behind it. Great vid
Absolutely LOVE this soup! Thank you!
I’ve always wondered this. Thanks!
Great documentary !
Wow, been binging this channel and it has really been a delight. Thank you. Really opening my eyes to different aspects of my culture and history back home.
Thank you ❤️ tell your friends!
Yooo! Amazing channel, great work
My dad always made this while I was growing up! He grew up in Hong Kong. It's nice to learn about the history behind lo sung tong :)
My mom used to make a similar style Shanghainese Russian Borscht (basically without the celery and peppers) when I was a kid. It's amazing with rice.
That would be part of the Haipai cuisine
@@TheLeolee89 don't forget shanghai style schniyzel, red sausage, potato salad, and baked clams.
My family is Shanghainese too and my dad makes it the same way! Oddly enough, I tasted a goulash in Prague that tasted just like my dad’s version. I didn’t realise this soup had this much history until this video randomly showed up in my algorithm
One of my favorite soup when I lived in Hong Kong as kid, I still love it 😊
I love the story behind this!
Good job explaining the history. This type of borscht can also still be found in some old style “western” restaurants in Shanghai.
Amazing. I cannot wait to try it when I visit the beautiful Hongkong after covid.
Happy new year. looks good and yummy
Had and liked it. Hope to try the original beets version one day.
Hong Kong food is so amazing. You can't just find food from all over the world, you can find every cuisine mixed together in a million different ways.
My mom is from Hong Kong. Growing up, wed have a similar vegetable soup like this. It had beef, Pork, or chicken bones - whatever was available, but the same veggies.
I love it, and enjoy it at ABC Cafe in the states. I didn't know it was a take on Russian Borscht. I didn't know ABC started as a russian/western restaurant. That explains the beef stroganoff that used to be on their menu. 😁
Thanks for this, GoldThread!
Love this soup! I always order it at the Hong Kong style cafes when I have the chance. I gotta try that restaurant in Hong Kong when I go back.
nice video i learn something new.
Very interesting!
So interesting! Never realised Russian cusine had any history in Asia.
Thank you for sharing, hope to visit this restaurant and try.
In a cafe in hong kong, you can pick between chinese soup or western soup, and usually this is the soup for the western selection, sometimes it's mushroom cream soup. In a western cafe like Pizza Hut for example, you get to choose between mushroom cream soup or this borscht soup, and as I kid I loved how sour and tomato-y and spicy it tasted. Amazing soup with a strange name I thought, and a strange taste that didn't seem local. I never even knew it was russian till now. Good stuff!!!
Interesting history thank you
4:49 The first time I went to Queen's Cafe in Causeway Bay as a kid was around 40 years ago. Great steaks and soups.
omg when they pull the bone from the soup to show viewers, the marrow is visible aaaa yummm
Thank you for this documentary. Growing up, Ive always wondered the origin of lo song tang.
This is a very interesting story merging of two great cultures.
In this case, the path of #RussianBorsch to 廣東菜. Thank you !
Been picking that instead of cream soup. Not knowing the history. . Very interesting!
This soup was my favorite growing up. Still is when my grandma makes it 😋
thats my favorite soup since i was a little kid i love dipping it with the chan bao with a little butter inside
I have always loved this soup when I eat at Hong Kong style cafe, never knew the origins! Though from taste and consistency it reminded me of minestrone soup more than borscht so I would have never made the connection.
Growing up in HK, it's either the red (Russian Borscht) or the white (cream of chicken/corn) soup with a sweet dinner roll when going to a soy sauce western restaurant. Steak with black pepper sauce on a hot sizzle plate. Thanks for the video!
My favorite soup. It taste delicious and fills you up.
Wishing the restaurant much success
Let's be real that stuff is so much better than the canned soup we all used to eating here.
who is used to eating canned soup
@@Chetos234dsfsdf435 A lot of people are. Welcome to the real world where not everyone has access to fresh food.
our family (of s. china origins) uses oxtails when there was money to splurge a bit, and it's one of my favourite soups
this is literally my favourite soup to order (but it‘s only available in certain restaurants) i miss it so much rn
I had this and it was delicious 😋....still think about it 😋
omg i LOVE this soup, i really hope the legacy continues forever
My home city is about 100 miles from Shanghai and our family version make this with ox tail
I have the same bowls they are using!
They can call that soup whatever they want, it looks delicious! Something to eat on a cold day, with toast on the side. mmm..
I could go for a bowl right now
Thank you! Borscht was my favorite soup growing up in HK. To my horror, the borscht in the U.S. tasted nothing like what I knew. Beets??!! Why was western borscht so sweet! Now I know. Given Queen's Cafe's North Point location, I wonder if we didn't go to the original also in that neighborhood.
Russian Borcht was my favorite soup in my hometown of Guangzhou when I'd dine out in a Tea Café hehe.
It’s popular in HK style restaurants in San Francisco ,as is baked rice / pasta dishes with meat in a red sauce covered with cheese
The most interesting thing is you can cook borsch in a few different ways but in russia borsch is almost always cooking in one way. It's a great dish.
I just had one yesterday.
there are still plenty of hong kong adapted "western" food! just check out a local cha chaan teng (hk equivalent of a bistro/diner) and u will find a lot of steaks or baked rice - which is another specialty that features meat like pork chop over rice with sauce and broiled w a layer of cheese. highly recommend tomato pork chop baked rice, super iconic and quite cheap
I love Hong Kong Borscht, especially with a western style breakfast or a sizzling steak in the evening, you know those kind of places that do this food.
reminds me of how KMT soldiers in Taiwan tried to recreate Sichuan beef noodle soup using local ingredients, which became Taiwanese beef noodle soup!
You might like our beef noodle soup episode! th-cam.com/video/H5e0mD3cY4k/w-d-xo.html
@@Goldthread I've seen ~95% of all goldthread vids! 💖😇 Keep up the amazing work!!
@@kylin3197 looove
The original borscht can be found in Hong Kong too.
In Vietnam, there is a dish looking similar to that kind of soup called "bò kho", "bò sốt vang", or "bò lagu" :D All of them are very yummy and fantastic!
There are a lot of these restaurants in Monterey Park California. Most of them serve this soup.
strongly recommend trying its Nougat
For clarifications, "luosong soup" is "Russian soup" in Shanghainese - there's a discrepancy here since you explained that was "russian soup" in Cantonese at the beginning and then said the soup originally started in Shanghai.
It is also pronounced “lousong soup” in Cantonese. Just saying.
@@jlau7017 well, that's pretty clear in the video duh
Thats awsome, I've always wanted to make i own soup with my own bone broth I get from a hunt. Soon...
......because it is sooooo good!
Oh man, it's been years since I've been to Queen's Cafe.
Ah! That's why the version I've always known doesn't have beets! I later tried with beets but I have to say I prefer the tomatos.
I liked Russian broth growing up in Hong Kong. My wife can cook excellent borscht soup from red cabbage, amongst many different vegetables, and beef. She adds potatoes only because of me. She is from the Czech Republic. Her soups are out of this world including ox tail, lotus root, green turnip and 清保凉.
my local hongkongnese cafe closed down. I still miss them.
I love Hong Kong style Western foods. I miss HK!
my favorite soup. I thought it was names to pair with lobster, but now it make sense.
This is a must-try dish in HK
In many Hong Kong style Western restaurants only serve cream of mushroom soup and russian soup. It is often abbreviated as white soup and red soup.
I LOVE Borscht!
Delicious
I wonder how it tastes. The main reason I love borscht is because of the beetroot. By taste is the tomato version a lot differnet? I've heard they also use tomato in the south.
May I suggest that the development of Hong Kong tea restaurant (茶餐廳) style (milk) tea (奶茶) is even more amazing.
Hong Kong people are mostly Chinese and used to drink tea (in Chinese style) for centuries. After colonized the British, the British brought their version of tea to Hong Kong. The British style tea was an upper class exclusive. Later when some "ice cafe (冰室)" appeared, they used their own methods to adopt this drink and modified it to another style, which become unique to Hong Kong.
Yum
In Borsch', beets are not mandatory. There are many variations on this wonderful dish, and I am happy to learn that there is even a Hong Kong style.
Ahhh so this was the soup I ate growing up! I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and one of the employees would make this soup! It was a really hearty filling spicy tomato beef soup. I had no idea it was a take on borscht!
I like the history.
That moment when you look at the soup bowl.... and you have the same style at home....
Borscht is traditionally Ukrainian dish. As for the origin 😉 receipt vary from family to family, but the key - is the quality of ingredients.
It's neither Russian or Ukrainian
It's all slavs's soup
Including Belarus, poland etc
Супер дякую вам
This soup you can see it everywhere in Taiwan steak house too
think Lo song tang is interpretation of Russian soup "Rassolnik (Рассольник)", which was popular in Harbin. Later, people misnamed Borscht and Russian Rassolnik soup.
I was surprised to learn Pho is not a traditional dish in Vietnam the other day.
I am Chinese Indonesian. my mom make soup exactly like this. Beef, tomatoes, carrot, onion into the pot.
She learn from grandma, my granny and my great grandparents emigrated during Japanese invasion of Manchukuo. Both my grandpa and grandma were from Tianjin. At first my grandpa and my grandma landed on Taiwan but that island was under occupation of Japan.
Scared of Japan persecution, they sailed again and landed on Java Island.
You can find an actual borscht in hongkong now too lol, not just the adapted version
McDonald's HK used to offer borscht. Its really good
We also call it red soup, In Hong Kong style Western restaurant you can always choose between chowder (white soup) or borscht (red soup)