Ræst Kjøt Soup (Røst súpan)
Overview
Ræst kjøt soup is a Faroese soup made with ræst lamb, meat that has hung in the wind for some weeks until it is partly dried and fermented and has a strong, ripe flavour. The lamb is simmered gently on the bone for a couple of hours while the pot is skimmed, and the broth is then cooked with barley and root vegetables such as onion, carrot and swede, and in some homes with small dumplings. When everything is tender, the meat is lifted out and served on a plate with boiled potatoes, and the soup is eaten alongside it. The flavour is deeply savoury and gamey, and the fermented taste mellows as it cooks.
History
In the Faroe Islands, lamb from the autumn slaughter was traditionally preserved by hanging it in a hjallur, a slatted wooden shed that lets the wind through but keeps the rain out. After a few weeks the meat becomes ræst, and if it hangs for months it turns into the dry skerpikjøt. Ræst lamb and its soup are eaten in the weeks after the slaughter, and it is a dish served when families gather at Christmas.
Main ingredients
Ræst lamb, potatoes, swede, carrots, barley, onion. The soup is built on strong fermented lamb broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Lamb soups · Potato soups · Barley and grains soups
Recipe
Method
- 1
Rinse the lamb, put it in a pot with the cold water and bring it slowly to the boil, skimming.
- 22 h
Simmer very gently for 2 hours.
- 330 min
Add the onion and barley and cook for 30 minutes.
- 425 min
Add the carrots and swede and cook for 25 minutes until tender.
- 5
Lift out the meat and serve it with potatoes, with the soup in bowls alongside.
- ✓
Serve. About 3h 15m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
