Hrybna Yushka

The story

Hrybna yushka, a soup of dried wild mushrooms, depends on a technique that for centuries let Ukrainian families hold on to the taste of autumn deep into winter. The mushrooms are gathered and dried in early fall, then stored in paper or cloth bags until December, when they are soaked and their soaking water becomes the base of a rich, almost meaty broth, even though the dish is entirely Lenten. This way of preserving mushrooms is common to nearly all the Eastern and Central European cuisines that observe a meatless Christmas Eve, from Polish zupa grzybowa to Czech houbová polévka, and each country brings its own local accent to the seasoning and texture. In some Ukrainian families the soup is served with small dumplings or noodles. For the diaspora, dried wild mushrooms often travel in suitcases or in packages from relatives in Ukraine, precisely so that the soup on an American table will have the true, unmistakable scent of the forest.