Poles love soups. They are delicious, hearty (and healthy as well) comfort food.
This country is blessed with a hearty mix of soup varieties, from the hot meaty winter options to the cold summer soups, and the best thing is that all these soups are all freshly made with locally harvested vegetables and the finest Polish meats. Ready? Let’s go!
1. Rosół – aka chicken broth
Rosół is a traditional Polish soup, loved by children and adults. Chicken broth is most often served on the Sunday table. It is an aromatic, clear soup served with noodles, chopped, cooked carrots and pieces of meat. Additionally, you can sprinkle it with chopped parsley or chives. Polish granma’s use bowl of rosól to heal everything: from flu, broken heart to a hangover.
Check here how to make it home.
2. Barszcz czerwony z uszkami – red beetroot soup with small dumplings
This traditional Polish soup is made of red beetroot juice. The most typical and very traditional red borscht is served with uszka, small stuffed (usually with meat) dumplings. Soups of this kind should be clear and look like red wine. Red clear borscht with uszka is one of the best traditional Polish soups and an exclusive one. It is also an indispensable Polish dish prepared for the Christmas Eve supper. Red borscht has a rich bouquet.
3. Żurek – sour soup
Żurek is one of the most typical Polish soups. It has a very particular acidic taste as this soup is made from fermented rye flour – the reason why it is sometimes simply called a “sour rye soup.” In our culture, Żurek has also a long-established tradition of appearing on Easter table – and in many households, this is what you still eat on Easter Sunday’s lunch.
Usually served with egg, sausage and bread aside. It’s very common that żurek is served in bread-bowl.
4. Flaki – beef tripe soup
Prepare yourself as this soup is as weird as it looks and sounds, but it’s surprisingly very tasty!
It has been part of Polish culinary recipes since the 14th century which makes it not only very old but also extremely traditional.
It’s made out of strips of beef tripe/stomach that are seasoned with marjoram and bay leaves.
The word flaki simply means in Polish ‘guts’. No matter how odd it sounds, believe me, that the Polish flaki soup is really tasty –
it’s spicy, reach in flavour and should be eaten with fresh bread or with a roll.
5. Kapuśniak / Kwaśnica- sauerkraut soup
Both soups are made of sauerkraut, but there is a slight difference between them, tho they are both sauer and warming!
Kapuśniak is made of chopped cabbage with sauerkraut cabbage cooked on meat stock (usually beef or pork) with potatoes, carrots, sausage, cabbage, sometimes mushrooms, very often infused with potato paste.
Kwaśnica on the other hand is a regional soup (mostly served in Tatra and Pieniny mountains). It’s made from sauerkraut with a large proportion of this juice as well as meat (a good portion of lamb rib!) and mushrooms. It must be mutton. It is usually consumed with potatoes and / or bread. It must be clarified (only potatoes and lamb ribs can swim in it). No other vegetables are added to it. The taste is very acidic.
6. Zupa Grzybowa- forest mushrooms soup
Forests of Poland are famous for their wild mushrooms, and this soup makes an appearance mostly in autumn time and also for the Christmas Eve feast. As well as fresh Polish mushrooms, onion, dill and herbs are added. Like many Polish soups, a heaped spoonful of sour cream (smietana) is placed on top to complete this fine recipe.
To describe the taste of mushroom soup is quite a difficult task. It has… well, a mushroom taste and, generally speaking, if anyone likes mushrooms, they will be enraptured by it!
7. Zupa ogórkowa – sour pickled cucumber soup
The Polish love their sour pickled cucumbers, and it comes as no surprise that they have a few soups featuring this healthy vegetable.
This bubbling green broth tastes much nicer than its basic recipe would suggest.
The soup’s exact recipe can vary from region to region, but it is mainly shredded sour pickled cucumbers with its juice often fused with a medley of potatoes, dill, boiled eggs and chopped carrot, which all seem to complement the main ingredient to perfection. May be also served with rice instead of potatoes.
Tip! Cucumber soup (like rosół) is a very good cure for a hangover as is a source of vitamin C and electrolytes. More cures for hangover you can find here.
8. Zupa Gulaszowa – goulash soup
This delicious and comforting soup is originally from Hungary, but it has been cooked in Polish homes for decades and over time change a bit from its original version. The soup is made of different kinds of meat (usually a mix of pork and beef) with peppers, onion and …. mushrooms! Flavoured with some tomatoes paste. It’s really dense, thick, very satisfying! Served with bread.
9. Krupnik – Barley soup
When Poles think of the soup of their childhood, they say Krupnik. Why? Because is very healthy, delicious and simple so it’s cooked very often.
Cooked on vegetable or meat stock with barley groats as a base for the taste, usually with some potatoes and carrots. Sparse dried mushrooms or meat chunks are sometimes added.
10. Pomidorowa – Tomato soup
Last but not least! To be honest, if I have to rank them from the most eaten ones, pomidorowa would be number 2.
Pomidorowka is cooked on meat stock (mostly chicken). Fresh tomatoes are a base of the taste, while during the winter tomatoes preserved in jars are great substitutes. An addition of tomato concentrate and cream emphasizes its taste. Polish tomato soup is served with pasta, but also frequently with rice or potatoes.
Hungry? Let’s eat some polish food!
You may also check: Polish starters you must try
