This recipe for a cold strawberry soup comes from the Carpathian region of Ukraine. It is a popular summer soup, usually eaten al fresco when friends and family get together. It might seem odd at first, but this refreshing and fruity soup is a great starter on hot days!
This strawberry soup definitely makes the list of best Ukrainian recipes – mostly because it is just so unique. The only cold soup most people know about seems to be gazpacho, and tomatoes are quite a savory fruit.
This Carpathian recipe is one of my favorite summer dishes so hopefully you’ll give it a shot. Let me know your thoughts down below!
How To Make A Carpathian Strawberry Soup
This strawberry soup recipe only requires a few ingredients, but some might feel quite unexpected. One of those ingredients is smetana, a type of sour cream which is popular in so many Ukrainian recipes. However you can use regular sour cream instead if you cannot find smetana.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Strawberries – (2.2 pounds) You can use fresh or frozen berries. I actually suggest frozen as they can be found year round and they retain that great strawberry flavor.
- 200 grams Smetana – if you cannot find smetana then use a thick sour cream or a creme fraiche instead.
- 400 ml Dry White Wine – this is a little over half a standard bottle
- 100 grams Sugar
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 250 ml Water – (one cup) boiling
- Basil – for garnish
The first step to make this soup is to macerate the strawberries. This is just tossing them in the sugar and letting them sit for about an hour until they release their juices and soften.
In another bowl whisk together the egg yolks, smetana (sour cream), and white wine. Whisk it well so that you have a homogenous liquid, and place in the fridge while you wait for the berries to finish macerating.
When the strawberries look like they do in the photo above they are done macerating. Pour over the boiling water and mash everything together. You can use a stick blender for convenience and for a more uniform soup, but it isn’t mandatory.
Finally you can combine the strawberry puree with the sour cream mix. It doesn’t matter what order you add one to the other as they will be going into a pan.
Place the strawberry soup in a pan and bring to a boil. I suggest whisking the entire time the soup is heating up. The second the soup hits a boil, turn off the heat. Let the soup come back to room temperature normally. You can whisk every once in a while if you notice a film forming. This isn’t a bad thing, and it dissolves right back into the soup.
When the soup is cool pour it into a sealable jar and into the fridge. This soup is traditionally eaten at room temperature or chilled, but you can eat it warm if you like. Right before serving I suggest to chiffonade some basil and sprinkle it on top.
What To Serve With Strawberry Soup
- Herby bread like focaccia or pampushky
- Some type of spread or paste like trout salad
- Pertsivka or Hrinivka, which are Ukrainian chili infused horilka (vodka) and horseradish infused horilka respectively.
Strawberry Soup
Equipment
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Stick Blender | optional
- 1 Pot or Large Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kg Strawberries (2.2 pounds) You can use fresh or frozen berries. I actually suggest frozen as they can be found year round and they retain that great strawberry flavor.
- 200 grams Smetana if you cannot find smetana then use a thick sour cream or a creme fraiche instead.
- 400 ml Dry White Wine this is a little over half a standard bottle
- 100 grams Sugar
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 250 ml Water one cup boiling
- Basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the strawberries and sugar. Give everything a toss and set aside for one hour.
- While the strawberries are macerating, whisk together the smetana, wine, and egg yolks in a large bowl.
- After one hour of the strawberries sitting in the sugar, pour over the cup of boiling water. You can then mash everything together by hand, or use a stick blender.
- Combine the strawberry puree with the smetana/wine mix and place into a large pan or pot.
- Bring the liquid to a boil while whisking. Once the liquid begins to boil turn off the heat immediately and allow to come to room temperature.
- Once at room temperature, pour into a sealable container and place in the fridge to chill.
- Before serving, chiffonade some basil and sprinkle over the top in the bowl.
OMG I remember having this as a kid and now that I live in America people think it’s so weird! Such a good summer soup!