Swedish Bilberry Soup (Blåbärssoppa)
Overview
Blåbärssoppa is a sweet Swedish soup made from bilberries, the small wild blueberries of Scandinavian forests. The berries are simmered in water with sugar, and the soup is then thickened lightly with potato starch until it is glossy and smooth. It can be sieved or left with whole berries. It is drunk hot on cold days or served cold as a dessert, sometimes with whipped cream or small almond biscuits. Swedes also drink it from a cup during outdoor sport, since it is warming, easy to digest and full of sugar for energy.
History
Picking wild bilberries in late summer is an old Swedish custom, and the berries were dried or cooked into soups to keep for winter. Blåbärssoppa is best known as the drink of the Vasaloppet, the long cross-country ski race in Dalarna first held in 1922, where it is handed out hot to skiers at the checkpoints between Sälen and Mora. Ready-made bilberry soup is sold in Swedish shops all year.
Main ingredients
Bilberries, sugar, potato starch, water. The soup is built on water and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Potato soups · More soups from Sweden
Recipe
Method
- 15 min
Bring the berries, water and sugar to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 2
Press through a sieve if you want a smooth soup.
- 3
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the starch mixture.
- 4
Return to the heat and stir until it just comes back to the boil and thickens.
- 5
Serve hot in cups, or chill and serve as a dessert.
- ✓
Serve. About 15 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
