Tasting History with Max Miller
Published May 7, 2024Sauerkraut soup served with German black bread, or schwarzbrot
City/Region: Germany
Time Period: 1915The food aboard a German U-boat could get really monotonous, especially after the first ten days or so, when all of the best and freshest ingredients would have gone bad. This simple soup uses ingredients that would have been available on board, and comes from a German cookbook from WWI. There are actually several variations of this soup in the cookbook, the only difference being swapping out the sauerkraut for other ingredients like pickles, cabbage, or beets.
You need to like sauerkraut in order to enjoy this soup, as there isn’t anything else going on to contribute other flavors. I highly recommend eating it with some schwarzbrot, or black bread. It balances the sourness of the soup and the two go together very nicely.
Sauerkrautsuppe
The fat and flour are whisked and the water is slowly added. When the soup has simmered, the sauerkraut is added. Salt and vinegar are added to the soup and seasoned.
— Kriegskochbuch, 1915.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter or other fat
4 tablespoons (40 g) flour
6 1/3 cups (1.5 L) water
2 to 3 cups (480 to 720 g) sauerkraut
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon saltInstructions:
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the flour and whisk it together to make a roux. Continue whisking it over the heat until it turns a golden brown.
- Slowly add the water, whisking to dissolve the roux. When all the water has been added and the roux is dissolved, bring it to a simmer.
- Stir the sauerkraut into the simmering soup. Bring it back to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary. After 15 minutes, stir in the vinegar and salt. Taste and add more vinegar and salt if needed.
- Serve it forth with schwarzbrot (dark rye bread).
August 24, 2024
Eating on a German U-Boat in WW1
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