Poland is the country whose Easter brunch traditionally includes żurek, a sour rye-meal soup. The soup is one of the best-known dishes on a Polish Easter table.
Żurek is made with fermented rye flour or rye meal, usually prepared as a sour starter called zakwas. The starter gives the soup its distinctive tangy flavor. Recipes vary by region and household, but common additions include white sausage, smoked meat, potatoes, garlic, marjoram, and hard-boiled eggs. The egg and sausage make it especially fitting for Easter, when foods associated with Lent are traditionally followed by a celebratory meal.
In English, żurek is often translated as sour rye soup. It is sometimes confused with barszcz biały, or white borscht, because the names and ingredients overlap and regional usage is inconsistent. Żurek is not limited to Easter, however: it is eaten throughout the year as a popular Polish comfort food. The Polish letter “ż” is commonly omitted in English spellings, producing “zurek” or “z zurek” in informal references.