Soup’s on!

Apart from being a healthy, hearty and comforting dish, in Zagreb we also strongly believe in its healing powers. It soothes your soul and is a proven remedy for a whole range of ailments from hangover to flu. Often taken for granted, this quiet hero of a typical Zagreb meal deserves all respect.

 
“The first stage in the soup making process.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia.

We love all sorts of soups and you’ll find a whole range of them on the menu. From simple clear soups, creamy soups, soups based on meat, vegetables or mushrooms, local specialties like štrukli soup to thick and filling soups like Zagorje soup. But when we hear juha (generic Croatian word for soup), one thing always comes to mind first – the clear broth soup. It’s the mother of all soups. Chicken or beef, rarely will you see some other version.

The thing with this soup is that it’s ridiculously simple to prepare, but takes a lot of time, because 90% of the preparation is actually just hours of slow simmering. No special skills are required, just your time and patience. Which is why it’s not unusual for working people to prepare the soup a day ahead, late in the evening, letting it cool down overnight. On weekends it’s easier, and the first thing that lots of mums and grandmas do in the morning is fill the pot with all the ingredients and then proceed to other chores. And everybody follows their own recipe and has secrets up the sleeve.

“The essential package of veggies for making your own broth.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Basically, it all starts with meat and the thing that locally we call grincajg – a “starter kit” of root vegetables and greens bundled together. Plus some basic spices, onion, maybe leek, or garlic. The taste and structure of the soup largely depends on the pieces of meat that you use. More fat and skin or more bones? Young or old? The latter dilemma is solved in an old Croatian saying: Stara koka, dobra juha (= Old hen, good soup). Experience will lead you in finding the perfect combination for the tastiest soup. It’s crucial that the ingredients are of good quality, fresh and home-grown. The broth should be delicate but flavourful, so don’t mess it up with overseasoning, that’s the biggest crime.

“No soup is complete without some homemade noodles.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Boiled meat is often removed from the soup and served separately, sometimes with a special sauce. When you’re satisfied with the taste, it’s time to boost the soup with everyone’s favourite addition – the noodles. There’s no real alternative to homemade egg noodles. The shape and size vary, but the best ones are tiny, like really short and thin spaghetti. The other traditional option, although quite rare now, is called ribana kašica. It’s like little flakes you get by grating a ball of dough made with eggs and flour. And let’s not forget knedlice – little dumplings made from semolina, soft and tender like clouds. If you add some chicken liver to the mixture, you get a real treat, something like the Rolls Royce of soup additions.

“For special occasions, upgrade your soup dumplings with chicken liver.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Nothing unites people around the table like a bowl of fresh hot soup. Nobody says no to it, it only depends which type of a soup eater you are - if you want it thick or thin, more or less salty, with more noodles or more floating carrots. As a matter of fact, while writing this article, a pot of chicken soup is being slowly cooked on my stove. Since no juhica is ever the same, despite the similar or even identical ingredients, I’m very excited to taste the end result. And today I’m feeling adventurous, so I’ve upgraded it with some peas fresh from the pod.

Header IImage credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia