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    Home » Recipes » Soups

    Czech Caraway Soup Recipe

    Published: Jun 16, 2021 · Modified: Dec 1, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    Come back with me to the old Czech times, and let's cook caraway soup! Bohemian grannies used to cook this goodness often; the soup is quick, delicious, and smells of caraway seeds. It would be a pity to forget this lovely recipe!

    caraway soup Czech kmínová polévka recipe
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ About This Recipe
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Cooking Tips
    Caraway Soup – Czech Kmínová polévka

    ➜ About This Recipe

    Caraway soup was a staple of our Czech grandmothers' cuisine. You need caraway seeds, a spice that used to be widely grown in the gardens, to prepare it.

    The soup is based on crushed caraway seeds and is thickened with a bit of flour. The fried onions add flavor, whisked egg gives a better texture, and potatoes make the soup rich.

    The SECRET INGREDIENT: Do not confuse caraway with cumin! Although these seeds look similar, you can only achieve the authentic Czech flavor of the soup by using caraway.

    Caraway soup is called kmínová polévka in Czech.

    Tip: Try this delicious Sauerkraut soup, aka Zelňačka!

    ➜ Ingredients

    czech caraway soup ingredients
    • Onion; small
    • Caraway seeds; roughly crushed, for example, in a mortar or briefly mixed in a clean coffee grinder
    • Potatoes; small; any all-purpose yellow potatoes will work
    • Vegetable oil; such as canola or sunflower oil, lard is a perfect choice too if you have it in the fridge
    • All-purpose flour
    • Egg
    • Chicken (vegetable) broth; or water
    • Pepper; ground
    • Salt
    • A sprig of parsley; for garnishing

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with Photos

    STEP 1: Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the potatoes and dice them.

    STEP 2: In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven (my preferred option), heat the oil over medium temperature. Add the onion and stir until translucent.

    frying onion in a pot

    STEP 3: Add the caraway seeds and stir for about 1 minute until the caraway aroma develops.

    adding caraway seeds

    STEP 4: Pour in the flour and stir for about 1-2 minutes.

    adding flour
    making caraway soup

    STEP 5: Remove the pot from the heat, add one scoop of chicken broth. Stir carefully with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add another ladle of broth, whisk. Now you can add the rest of the liquid. Flavor with salt and pepper, stir well.

    making caraway soup

    STEP 6: Put the pot back on the stove, carefully add the diced potatoes. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil.

    adding potatoes

    STEP 7: Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Stir from time to time, as the flour tends to sink to the bottom of the pot, where it could start to burn.

    STEP 8: Finally, remove the pot from the stove, crack one whole egg into the soup and whisk it in. Do not cook the soup any further.

    making caraway soup czech kmínová polévka

    STEP 9: Salt to taste if necessary, stir, and serve.

    czech caraway soup kmínová polévka

    ➜ Serving

    Serve warm, garnish the soup in a bowl with a chopped sprig of parsley.

    A slice of fresh rye bread or a sprinkling of bread croutons is a great accompaniment to this caraway soup.

    czech kmínová polévka caraway seed soup

    ➜ Cooking Tips

    • Bohemian grannies did not fry the flour in the soup initially; they usually just stirred with a bit of water into the soup and cooked it briefly. However, if you sauté the flour at the beginning, the soup will gain much more flavor.
    • Flour stirred in a bit of water, added to the soup to thicken it, is called "záklechtka" in the old Czech language.
    • In Czech history, caraway was often used in folk medicine. However, it was known primarily for its digestive effects and is still a favorite spice of new mothers breastfeeding their babies.

    More Czech soups

    • Czech garlic soup – famous česnečka
    • Bramborová polévka – mushroom potato soup
    • Goulash soup – gulášová polévka, made with beef

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    caraway soup recipe

    Caraway Soup – Czech Kmínová polévka

    Come back with me to the old Czech times, and let's cook caraway soup! Bohemian grannies used to cook this delicacy often; the soup was quick, delicious, and smelled of caraway seeds. It would be a pity to forget this lovely recipe!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 256kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Caraway seeds, czech soups

    Ingredients

    • 1 onion small
    • 2 teaspoons caraway seeds crushed
    • 4 potatoes small
    • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil Canola, sunflower oil, or lard
    • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 egg
    • 5 cups chicken broth (1.2 l) or vegetable broth, or water
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
    • salt
    • a sprig of parsley to garnish

    Instructions

    • Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the potatoes and dice them.
    • In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven (my preferred option), heat the oil over medium temperature. Add the onion and stir until translucent.
    • Add the caraway seeds and stir for about 1 minute until the caraway aroma develops.
    • Pour in the flour and stir for about 1-2 minutes.
    • Remove the pot from the heat, add one scoop of chicken broth. Stir carefully with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add another ladle of broth, whisk. Now you can add the rest of the liquid. Salt and pepper, stir well.
    • Put the pot back on the stove, carefully add the diced potatoes. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil.
    • Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Stir from time to time, as the flour tends to sink to the bottom of the pot, where it could start to burn.
    • Finally, remove the pot from the stove, crack one whole egg into the soup and whisk it in. Do not cook the soup any further.
    • Salt to taste if necessary, stir, and serve.

    Notes

    • Makes 4 yields.
    • SERVING: Serve warm, garnish the soup in a bowl with a chopped sprig of parsley. A slice of fresh rye bread or a sprinkling of bread croutons is a great accompaniment to this caraway soup.
    • Store in the fridge, where the soup will last up to 3-4 days.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1120mg | Potassium: 1024mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Malcolm High

      November 21, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this soup! The Caraway and salt make a pervasive flavour under the potato that is excellent! Thank you for posting these recipes!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        November 23, 2021 at 3:32 pm

        Thanks a lot for your lovely comment! I am happy you like the flavor of this caraway soup, it’s an old-bohemian recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • Sandra

          May 10, 2022 at 8:23 pm

          5 stars
          Delicious and easy to make. My Czech mother made this soup for me when I had stomach issues, so I figured I would give it a try. I made it Hungarian style by adding paprika and garlic. I also cooked the raw egg for 3 minutes.

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská

            May 16, 2022 at 7:00 am

            Thank you, Sandra, for your lovely feedback! Yes, caraway seeds are an excellent natural remedy for soothing the stomach 🙂 Ground paprika and garlic definitely gave the soup another dimension of taste, and I am happy to confirm that a beaten egg is also often added to the soup in Czech recipes!

            Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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