List of German soups facts for kids
German soups are a big part of German cuisine! People in Germany have been enjoying soups for hundreds of years, and they are still super popular today. Many Germans eat soup at least once a week.
Soups can be served as a starter before a meal or even as the main dish itself. Often, German soups are made thicker using a special mix called a roux, which is butter and flour cooked together. You'll also find lots of soups made with legumes like lentils and peas, such as tasty split pea soup.
If you visit a German restaurant, you might see soups like goulash, split pea, or creamy asparagus soup. Long ago, around the 1880s, Germans even liked soups made with beer! These were made with a lighter beer, along with water, sugar, raisins, spices, and old bread. This article will tell you about some of the most common and interesting soups from Germany.
Contents
Popular German Soups
Asparagus Soup
This is a creamy soup made from fresh asparagus. It's a favorite, especially when asparagus is in season.
Beer Soup
In the Middle Ages, beer soup was often eaten for breakfast! It was sometimes poured over bread. Today, you might find versions like beer cheese soup.
Bread Soup
Bread soup is a simple soup made mostly from stale bread. Different versions exist in many countries. It's often eaten during Lent. You can make it with brown bread or white bread.
Beansoup
From the Saarland region, this soup is packed with beans, carrots, potatoes, onions, and bacon. It's a hearty and filling meal.
Borscht
While originally from Ukraine, Borscht is a popular soup in Germany too. It's made with beetroot and often served with sour cream (called schmand) and beef.
Cheese Soup
During the Middle Ages, monasteries in Germany often served soup made from cheese, eggs, and pepper. Today, cheese soups are still enjoyed, sometimes with potatoes.
Eintopf
Eintopf means "one-pot" in German, and it's a simple vegetable soup. It often has small meatballs, making it a complete meal.
Elderberry Dessert Soup
Called Fliederbeersuppe, this is a sweet dessert soup made from elderberry fruit. It's usually served with soft semolina dumplings.
French Onion Soup
Even though it's called "French," this soup is very common in German cooking. It's known for its rich onion flavor and often a cheesy bread topping.
Fruit Soup
Fruit soups are popular in Germany, especially cherry soup. These sweet soups can be a refreshing treat.
Goulash
Goulash can be a soup or a stew. Bavarian Gulasch is often made with a mix of beef and pork. It's usually served with a Semmelknödel, which is a type of bread dumpling.
Potato Soup and Plum Tart
Known as Grumbeersupp un Quetschekuche, this is a traditional main course from some regions. It combines a savory potato soup with a sweet plum tart.
Hamburg Eel Soup
Hamburger Aalsuppe is a unique sweet and sour soup from Hamburg. It's made with eel, meat broth, dried fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Wedding Soup
Hochzeitssuppe literally means "wedding soup." It's a flavorful meat broth with small bread dumplings, liver dumplings, and thin slices of pancake. It's often served at celebrations.
Potato Stew
Kartoffelsuppe is a hearty stew made with raw potatoes and other ingredients like vegetables and sausages. It's a comforting and filling meal.
Tripe Soup
Kuttelsuppe is a lightly thickened soup usually made with tripe (parts of an animal's stomach) and vinegar. It's a traditional dish found in many countries.
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is eaten all year round in Germany because dry lentils store well. It's a nutritious and tasty soup, often served with melted butter and fried onions.
Noodle Soup
Nudelsuppe is a classic soup with strong chicken stock and noodles. It's often eaten when someone isn't feeling well, just like chicken noodle soup in other countries.
Potato Soup
A common and beloved soup throughout Germany, potato soup is simple yet satisfying. It can be made in many different ways, often with vegetables and sometimes sausages.
Rumford's Soup
This simple soup was created to help feed people who were struggling in Munich and Bavaria. It's made mainly with barley or barley meal and dried peas.
Blood Soup
Schwarzsauer is a type of pork blood soup cooked with vinegar and spices. It's a traditional dish that came from eastern Prussia.
In Culture
There's a famous German children's story called Der Struwwelpeter that features a character named Suppenkasper. He was a little boy who became very weak because he refused to eat his soup! This story teaches kids the importance of eating their food.