 Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries , borscht 's popularity spread beyond its Slavic homeland , largely due to such factors as territorial expansion of the Russian Empire , Russia 's growing political clout and cultural stature , and waves of emigration out of the country . As Russia grew to cover most of northern and central Eurasia , borscht was introduced to the cuisines of various peoples inhabiting the territories both within and adjacent to the empire , from Finland to the Caucasus and Iran , to Central Asia and China , and to Alaska ( Russian America ) . 
