Jókai bean soup facts for kids
Jókai bean soup is a famous and tasty Hungarian soup. It's a hearty dish made with beans, vegetables, and different kinds of meat. This soup is named after a well-known Hungarian writer, Mór Jókai, who loved it very much! It's a popular meal in Hungary, especially during colder weather.
What's in Jókai Bean Soup?
To make Jókai bean soup, you will need these ingredients:
- Dry pinto beans
- Root vegetables like carrots and celery
- Onion
- A little fat and flour for thickening
- Debrecen sausage
- Pork (often pork knuckle)
- Garlic
- Bay leaf
- Fresh parsley
- Sour cream
- Bone broth or water
- Salt, paprika, and vinegar for seasoning
How to Make Jókai Bean Soup
Making Jókai bean soup takes a bit of time, but it's worth it!
First, you need to wash the dry beans very well. Then, soak them in water overnight. This makes them softer and easier to cook.
The next day, drain the beans. Start cooking the Debrecen sausage and pork in a pot with bone broth or water. Add a bay leaf for flavor. After about 10 minutes, take out the sausage and set it aside.
When the beans begin to get soft, add diced vegetables like carrots, celery, and onion. Also, add two slightly cut cloves of garlic. Let everything simmer together until the pork is tender. Once the pork is soft, remove it from the soup.
Next, you'll make a special Hungarian thickener called a roux. You do this by cooking fat and flour together. Then, add finely chopped red onion and paprika to it. Stir this mixture into the soup to make it thicker.
Finally, mix a little sour cream with some of the hot soup liquid. Then, add this mixture to the main pot. This helps the sour cream blend smoothly. You can also add a little vinegar for a slightly tangy taste. Cut the cooked pork into small cubes and slice the sausage. Add them back into the hot soup just before serving.
Where Did the Soup Get Its Name?
The Jókai bean soup is named after a famous Hungarian writer, Mór Jókai. He lived a long time ago and wrote many popular stories.
Mór Jókai was a regular visitor at a restaurant in a town called Balatonfüred. He loved bean soup so much that he almost always ordered it there. Because he enjoyed it so often, the restaurant decided to name the special bean soup after him!
Jókai was very interested in food and often wrote about it in his books. He even described different meals and how they were prepared. This shows how much he appreciated good food, and why a delicious soup was named in his honor.
