In the crisp, sunny autumn days, the forests ofRussiaare full of people perusing the wooded floor for mushrooms. Mushroom foraging is almost a sport for Slavic people. For centuries, mushrooms have been a really substantial part of the diet, during the long winter months. Since the winter is so long and the warm weather doesn’t last very long, the meat supply was pretty scarce and had to be supplemented by mushrooms, which are hearty, savory and a perfect substitute.
When we still lived in Belarus, we would get together in groups and make our way to the forest with pails. Usually right after a few rainy days, the mushrooms were especially plentiful. We rustled though the leaves and pine needles, adding one mushroom after another to our pails, breathing in the pine-scented fresh air. I loved the comraderie of these expeditions - talking, laughing, and exchanging stories. We would come back home satisfied, rosy-cheeked and hungry. We would put a large pot of potatoes to cook and serve it up with bacon and onions. The star of the meal would be mushrooms, of course. Simply sautéed with the bacon and onions, or with sour cream, mushrooms are so scrumptious.
We would marinate and dry the mushrooms to enjoy throughout the cold, winter months. Mushroom soup was a favorite. I make it with all kinds of mushrooms, basically, whatever happens to be available. 
Chanterelles are my favorite. In Russian, they are called lisichki, little foxes, or chanterelles in English. I love the texture, they are meaty, hearty and extremely delicious. In a light broth and with chunks of potatoes, creamy barley, onions and garnished with a bit of crispy bacon and fresh herbs, this soup is elegant and at the same time reminds me of those days in Grandma’s kitchen, where I ate it after a day in the forest.
*We always had an expert who knew exactly which mushrooms were good and which ones to steer clear of. Don’t pick mushrooms if you don’t have the needed knowledge. Some mushrooms are poisonous, so your best bet is to buy them in the grocery store.
Rinse the barley. 
Place the water and barley into a medium pot. Season with salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes to the soup. 
Continue cooking at a simmer until the potatoes are tender. 
Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces, lardons. Cook on medium heat in a skillet until crisp. 
Drain on a paper towel. 
Pour out all but about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease. You can pour it all out and add about 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook on high heat. The mushrooms will exude a lot of liquid, keep cooking on high heat until all the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are golden. 
Add the onions, season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking on medium heat until the onions are tender and just beginning to turn golden. 
Add to the soup and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. Garnish with the bacon and fresh dill and chives. Serve with sour cream.
Russian Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup barley pearled
- 8 cups water
- 2-3 potatoes peeled and chopped
- 3-4 strips bacon
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms chanterelles (or any other)
- salt pepper
- fresh herbs dill, chives, etc, minced
Instructions
- Rinse the barley. Place the water and barley into a medium pot. Season with salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and continue cooking at a simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces, lardons. Cook on medium heat in a skillet until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
- Pour out all but about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease. You can pour it all out and add about 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook on high heat. The mushrooms will exude a lot of liquid, keep cooking on high heat until all the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are golden.
- Add the onions, season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking on medium heat until the onions are tender and just beginning to turn golden.
- Add to the soup and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. Garnish with the bacon and fresh dill and chives. Serve with sour cream.
Olga,
How does barley translate into ukrainian or russian? I am having a hard time finding it in my pantry and I know I have a ton of grain. Please translate.
barley is перловка (perlovka) in Russian.
My late wife taught me which mushrooms that we were likely to find were edible. However, she left no written recipe for mushroom & barley soup. I've dried boletes, morels, chanterelles, & some others the names of which I don't remember at the moment. You've carefully avoided providing instructions on reconstituting dried mushrooms. How about helping a fellow who wants the soup but who hasn't the slightest idea how much water to use for about 4 oz. of dried mushrooms and about how much time it takes to reconstitute them. I don't live in a city where the supermarkets sell much besides button mushrooms and portabellas. If I want anything more interesting or tasty, I have to pick the mushrooms myself.
Hi Richard,
Check out this newer recipe for mushroom soup where I do explain how to reconstitute and use dry mushrooms, dry porcini and chanterelle are my personal favorites. Mushroom Soup
Olga, I’m making this right now because I found Chanterelles at Costco! I was so excited at the store my son looked at me like I was crazy 😄
Whenever I find chanterelles, I get really excited too, Brittany! They are the best. I hope you enjoy this soup.
My husband and I love picking Chanterelles here in Washington. So much fun! This looks delicious. I really want to give it a try. Also, you can find Chanterelles in Costco during the fall but I don't know if that's everywhere..
Hi, I am an American living in Minsk and I love your recipes! I have a question--what would you say the equivalent of bacon is in Belarus? I know there is бекон, but that is hard to find and doesn't seem to be the same thing. I have tried buying different things that look like bacon here, but I never know if it will render fat and cook down the way American bacon does--and half the time it doesn't work. What would you ask the butcher for (in Russian) if you were making this recipe in Minsk?
Where did you find Lisichki/Chanterelles??? In my 14 years in the US I have never seen them in the grocery store! Those, too were my favorite growing up!
They are SO hard to find. We had them at a store called Fresh Market as well as Whole Foods.
Hello, thanks for your recipe.
I did it today and followed the instructions stricktly, but the barley (1/4 cup) simply disappeared in 8 cups of water. Did I make anything wrong? It seems to me it does not agregate any flavor or smothness to the soup. Sorry for the comment, but I became quite curious about the question. Thanks, Vitor.