Zabijačková polévka

The story

Zabijačková polévka is the soup of zabijačka, the Czech home pig slaughter. From the 19th century the slaughter was the high point of the village food year, held in winter, usually a few weeks before masopust, the Czech Shrovetide. Cold weather slowed spoilage and gave the family time to process the meat, feed for the animal was running low, and from spring to autumn everyone was needed in the fields. The last possible date was the week before Ash Wednesday, which in 2027 falls on February 10. The rule was od čumáčku po ocásek, from snout to tail, and nothing was wasted. Two soups came out of the day, as Libor Budinský describes in Seznam Zprávy. The first, eaten in the morning, was a light broth from ovar, the boiled pork, and offal. The second simmered longer with jitrnice and jelita sausages, blood, barley, garlic and marjoram until it turned dark; that one is prdelačka, also called bouřka. In the Czech countryside the zabijačka still keeps its tradition today. This recipe follows the first soup, with fresh hocks and shoulder for the ovar, a little liver and pearl barley, and no blood. Put grated horseradish and mustard on the table, as Czechs do for ovar.