Caraway Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)
A creamy potato soup thickened with broth, flavored with onion, leek, and a pinch of caraway, sprinkled with bacon bits and parsley. The quintessential midday dish of a modest Hessian family.
A creamy potato soup thickened with broth, flavored with onion, leek, and a pinch of caraway, sprinkled with bacon bits and parsley. The quintessential midday dish of a modest Hessian family.
Allow us to lead you to our table in Kassel, where a day of study called for a simple, hot meal. Our maid would melt the onion in a little lard, toss the potatoes into the broth, then mash everything with a fork until the soup became creamy. A pinch of caraway, a sprig of parsley from the garden, and there you had enough to warm two brothers bent all day over old tales. Eat it piping hot, my friend: it is the humble food that sustains long labors.
- •Potatoes — a good helping (base of the soup)
- •Onion and leek — as desired (aromatics)
- •Smoked bacon — a few slices (fat and flavor)
- •Caraway — a pinch (signature spice)
- •Bone or vegetable broth — as needed (liquid)
- •Parsley — a bunch (freshness)
Caraway Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)
A creamy potato soup thickened with broth, flavored with onion, leek, and a pinch of caraway, sprinkled with bacon bits and parsley. The quintessential midday dish of a modest Hessian family.
Why this dish? In Kassel, where the brothers worked for many years at the landgrave's library, potatoes and soup formed the daily fare of a studious and frugal household: a hot, nourishing, inexpensive meal that left all the time for manuscripts.
Allow us to lead you to our table in Kassel, where a day of study called for a simple, hot meal. Our maid would melt the onion in a little lard, toss the potatoes into the broth, then mash everything with a fork until the soup became creamy. A pinch of caraway, a sprig of parsley from the garden, and there you had enough to warm two brothers bent all day over old tales. Eat it piping hot, my friend: it is the humble food that sustains long labors.
Ingredients (period version)
- Potatoes — a good helping (base of the soup)
- Onion and leek — as desired (aromatics)
- Smoked bacon — a few slices (fat and flavor)
- Caraway — a pinch (signature spice)
- Bone or vegetable broth — as needed (liquid)
- Parsley — a bunch (freshness)
Ingredients
- Floury potatoes — 800 g (base of the soup)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Leek — 1 white part (aromatic)
- Smoked bacon lardons — 120 g (fat and flavor)
- Caraway seeds — 1 tsp (signature spice)
- Vegetable or chicken broth — 1.2 L (liquid)
- Flat-leaf parsley — a few sprigs (freshness)
Method
- Fry the bacon lardons dry, set half aside; in the same pot, sweat the chopped onion and leek.
- Add cubed potatoes and caraway, cover with broth, lightly salt.
- Simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes fall apart.
- Coarsely mash with a potato masher (or partially blend to keep some texture).
- Serve very hot, topped with the reserved bacon and chopped parsley.
How it was made : In the 19th century, the soup was thickened without cream: mashed potatoes sufficed. Caraway was not just a flavor; it was also believed to aid digestion of starches and cabbages.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of sour cream and a drizzle of roasted pumpkin seed oil from southern Germany for a more indulgent version.
Brothers Grimm · Charactorium
