O.
K.
, I doubt if borscht has a traditional Symbology like some Japanese foods do.
But I'd like to take a stab at it- I bet I'm not too far off the mark either.
East Europe and Russia have a bloody history.
Having said that, the fact that everywhere else in the world has had a bloody history as well does not distract us from this topsy-turvy but most certainly exaggerated image of East Europe, particularly Russia.
Maybe it's because they are so isolated, maybe it is because it is so cold; whatever the reason Russia is associated with a land of courage and hardships.
Visually, borscht broth (arguably the Russian national dish) is a deep blood red, evocative of the blood (and bloodshed) of its hardworking people, with a strong association that sustenance is pulled from the earth by the blood of the people.
Borscht in other words is a kind of sacrament that affirms the people's ties to the land.
But not just that- on a higher spiritual plane the people and the land are one in the same.
The people came from the earth, and the earth continues to sustain them.
Borscht is a hearty and highly nutritious soup that gives one strength and encourages the heart.
By eating borscht, it is almost as if one is imbibing the very blood of the land.
Sour cream and borscht have further meanings.
Just as the Japanese flags literally is symbolic of the blood and purity of the people, just as Christians are cleansed by the 'blood of the lamb,' whose fleece is snow white, so the purity of the Russian people may be symbolized by them mingling of pure white cream and 'blood broth.
' Borscht is an affirmation of life through hardship and death.
It is a tale of joy and woe.
Most of all it is a dish that encourages and nourishes.
Symbolically, borscht is a dish of strength and hope.