Type Soup Variations Shchi | Serving temperature hot Variation Shchi | |
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Main ingredients Stock (fish, mushroom, or pork fat), vegetables (sauerkraut/white cabbage) Similar Cabbage, Bigos, Borscht, Sauerkraut, Krupnik | ||
Cabbage soup is a filling vegetable soup of sauerkraut and/or white cabbage(s).
Contents
- Cabbage soup recipe for diet and weight loss
- Types
- In national cuisines
- Traditional kapuniak preparation
- Traditions
- In popular culture
- References
Cabbage soup recipe for diet and weight loss
Types
There are different types of cabbage soup, prepared with different ingredients. Vegetarian cabbage soup uses mushroom stock and there is another variety using a fish stock. Traditional cabbage soup is prepared using a pork stock.
In national cuisines
Cabbage soup is most popular in Polish, Slovak and Ukrainian cuisine. It is known as kapuśniak or kwaśnica in Polish, kapustnica in Slovak and капусняк (kapusnyak) in Ukrainian. It is also found in Czech (Czech: zelňačka or zelná polévka), German (German: Kohlsuppe or Krautsuppe), French (French: soupe aux choux) cuisine, and Swedish (Swedish: kålsoppa) cuisine.
The Swedish cabbage soup is usually made from white cabbage, which is browned before being boiled, and seasoned with generous amounts of allspice.
A variety of the soup called shchi (Russian: щи) is a national dish of Russia. It uses fresh cabbage, savoy cabbage, dock, spinach or nettle instead. The sauerkraut soup is called "sour shchi", as opposed to "fresh cabbage shchi".
Traditional kapuśniak preparation
Drained and chopped sauerkraut is cooked in water with chopped pork, pieces of kiełbasa and a bit of salt until the meat is almost tender. Instead of meat, a ready broth is also used. Afterwards, diced potatoes and carrots are added and boiled until they are cooked. Tomato paste and spices may be added. In some regions the soup is served with added flour and butter. A lean kapusniak is cooked with roots and fungi.
Kapuśniak is served hot, in some regions with sour cream and sprinkled with chopped parsley and dill.
Traditions
In Ukraine kapusnyak is served at weddings, wakes and funerals as a main dish. In Slovakia kapustnica is served for Christmas dinner.
In popular culture
Louis de Funès was the protagonist of the French film "Cabbage Soup", La Soupe aux choux.
One Russian tsarina of German royal house notorious for her poor command of Russian was quipped to be capable of making 7 misspellings in a two-letter word (hint: щи is Schtschi in German.)