 In Poland and Ukraine , borscht is usually one of the dishes served at a Christmas Eve dinner . Celebrated after the first star has appeared in the sky on December 25 ( Roman Catholic ) or January 6 ( Greek Catholic ) , it is a meal which is at the same time festive and fasting , a <unk> affair ( traditionally , with twelve distinct dishes ) that excludes ingredients of land @-@ animal origin . Christmas Eve borscht is , therefore , either vegetarian or based on fish stock and is not typically mixed with sour cream . In Ukraine , the soup contains vegetables that are sautéed in vegetable oil rather than lard , as well as beans and mushrooms . It may be also thickened with wheat flour dry @-@ roasted in a pan instead of the usual roux . The Polish version of Christmas Eve borscht is a clear ruby @-@ red broth . Both Ukrainian and Polish variants are often served with uszka . 
