Discover the goodness of Czech cuisine with this delicious Kyselica sauerkraut soup. A nutritious treat that can even replace a full lunch. Let's get cooking!
➜ About the Kyselica recipe
Kyselica is a thick, white soup made with sauerkraut, potatoes, sausage, and sour cream that is popular in the Czech Republic's eastern region of Wallachia (Valašsko). Legend has it that Kyselica used to be served to men as a hearty breakfast to give them strength for a day's work in the forest.
MY TIP: Try also the classic Czech sauerkraut soup called Zelňačka!
➜ Pronunciation
Curious about how the Czech name Kyselica is pronounced? I recorded a short audio clip of the Czech pronunciation - I am a native speaker, so you can hear it firsthand!
➜ Ingredients
To make homemade Wallachian Kyselica soup from scratch, you will need the following:
- White sauerkraut; if you can't find Czech sauerkraut in your area, a great alternative is a German or Polish sauerkraut (you should be able to find it at a local European deli). These two types of sauerkraut are the closest in taste to Czech sauerkraut.
- Yellow potatoes; e. g., Yukon golds. Any all-purpose potatoes or less starchy potatoes work well in this recipe. Avoid starchy potatoes, as they tend to fall apart when overcooked.
- Smoked sausage
- Smoked bacon; wet-cured, fully cooked
- Yellow onion
- Sour cream; fat content about 15-18%
- Lard; or unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour; for thickening the Kyselica soup
- Whole milk; lukewarm
- For seasoning: salt, caraway seeds, bay leaves, allspice
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Kitchen equipment: Prepare two saucepans, one small and one large. Next, a frying pan to fry the onions, sausage, and bacon.
➜ How to make Kyselica soup
STEP 1: Peel and chop the onion. Cut the sausage into slices. If the sausage is in an artificial casing, peel it first. Use a peeler to remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Dice the bacon as well.
STEP 2: Place the sauerkraut in a larger saucepan with its juices and pour a cup of water over it. Add half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, two bay leaves, and about 8 berries of allspice. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes so that the kraut is tender.
STEP 3: Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of water into a smaller saucepan. Add salt, half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, and the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
TIP: Test for doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork. The potatoes should be almost soft but not falling apart.
STEP 4: Heat the lard or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sausage slices and bacon cubes. Cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
STEP 5: When the potatoes are done, add them to the saucepan with the cooked kraut, along with the water in which they were cooked.
STEP 6: Whisk a tablespoon of flour in the lukewarm milk so that there are no lumps. Stir the milk and flour mixture into the soup.
STEP 7: Add fried onions, sausage and bacon. Mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir from time to time as the flour tends to settle to the bottom of the saucepan and form lumps.
STEP 8: Finally, remove from the heat source and stir in sour cream. Do not cook anymore. Season to taste with salt and possibly ground black pepper.
➜ Serving
In the Czech Republic, this hearty and strengthening soup used to be served as a breakfast soup for those engaged in physically demanding work.
In modern days, Kyselica soup, served with crusty rye bread, replaces the whole lunch. You'll be full until the evening!
When eating the soup, look for the allspice berries and bay leaves. The spices are traditionally left in the soup, but you can try fishing them out of the soup and setting them aside.
➜ Storage
If you have leftover soup, cover it with a lid when completely cooled and store it and the pot in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4-5 days.
If you don't have room for the pot in your refrigerator, you can transfer the Kyselica soup to an airtight container.
Reheating: Heat the required amount of soup in a pot on the stovetop. The soup will probably thicken overnight. If this is the case, add a tablespoon of water and stir.
➜ Useful tips
- Do not cook potatoes in the same saucepan as sauerkraut. The potatoes would not soften, you have always to cook them separately.
- Recipes for Kyselica soup varied from village to village in Wallachia. Mushrooms, beans, or even prunes were sometimes added.
More sauerkraut recipes:
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Wallachian Kyselica Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound sauerkraut Czech, German or Polish style
- 3 potatoes
- 1 smoked sausage
- 3 and ½ smoked bacon (100 g)
- 1 onion
- ¾ cup sour cream (180 g) 15-18% fat content
- 1 Tablespoon lard or unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup whole milk (60 ml) lukewarm
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 allspice
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion. Cut the sausage into slices. If the sausage is in an artificial casing, peel it first. Use a peeler to remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Dice the bacon as well.
- Place the sauerkraut in a larger saucepan with its juices and pour a cup of water over it. Add half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, two bay leaves, and about 8 berries of allspice. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes so that the kraut is tender.
- Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of water into a smaller saucepan. Add salt, half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, and the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
- Heat the lard or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sausage slices and bacon cubes. Cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are almost tender, add them to the saucepan with the cooked kraut, along with the water in which they were cooked.
- Whisk a tablespoon of flour in the lukewarm milk so that there are no lumps. Stir the milk and flour mixture into the soup.
- Add fried onions, sausage and bacon. Mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir from time to time as the flour tends to settle to the bottom of the saucepan and form lumps.
- Finally, remove the soup from the heat source and stir in sour cream. Do not cook anymore. Season to taste with salt and possibly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Makes 6 portions.
- SERVING: Serve Kyselica soup preferably with a slice of crusty bread, as a breakfast soup or a light lunch.
- Do not cook potatoes in the same saucepan as sauerkraut. The potatoes would not soften, you have always to cook them separately.
- If you have leftover soup, cover it with a lid when completely cooled and store it and the pot in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Heat the required amount of soup in a pot on the stovetop. The soup will probably thicken overnight. If this is the case, add a tablespoon of water and stir.
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
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