flipCaraway Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)
Caraway Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)
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.
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
