Cool boiled or baked red, sweet beets, then peel and slice them. Place in a jar and strew with grated horseradish. Marinate in plain vinegar for 3 to 24 hours, or use a spiced vinegar boiled with bay leaf, allspice, salt and cloves.
(Toomre, Joyce, “Classic Russian Cooking : Elena Molokhovets’ A Gift to Young Housewives”, Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, 1992, p.254)