 The English word borscht , also spelled borsch , borsht , or bortsch , comes from Yiddish באָרשט ( borsht ) . The latter derives from the word борщ ( borshch ) , which is common to East Slavic languages , such as Ukrainian or Russian . Together with cognates in other Slavic languages , it comes from Proto @-@ Slavic * bŭrščǐ ' hogweed ' and ultimately from Proto @-@ Indo @-@ European * bhr ̥ sti- < * bhares- / bhores- ' point , stubble ' . Common hogweed ( Heracleum sphondylium ) was the soup 's principal ingredient before it was replaced with other vegetables , notably beetroot . The beetroot borscht was invented in what is now Ukraine and first popularized in North America by Yiddish @-@ speaking Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe . 
