Kapuśniak

The story

Kapuśniak is the everyday sauerkraut soup of Poland. The usual version starts with pork ribs or bacon simmered in water until the meat is nearly tender; sauerkraut goes in, then potatoes and root vegetables such as carrot, parsley root and celery root. A lean, meatless version is cooked with roots and mushrooms instead. The soup is served hot, sometimes thickened with flour and butter, sometimes finished with sour cream, and scattered with parsley or dill. In Podhale, the highland region of the far south, the sauerkraut soup is called kwaśnica and counts as a local emblem. Neighbors cook close relatives: kapustnica in Slovakia, kapusniak in Ukraine, zelňačka in the Czech Republic. The soup is built from foods that keep through the cold months, a crock of sauerkraut, potatoes, roots and a piece of pork, which is why it shows up so often on Polish winter tables. Make a full pot on the weekend; the flavor deepens overnight, and rye bread and a spoonful of sour cream are all it needs.