Ciorbă rădăuțeană

What it is

Rădăuți soup is a white, velvety, sour-garlic soup. It is cooked with chicken or turkey and root vegetables, the meat is removed from the bones and returned in strips, and the soup is seasoned with a mixture of sour cream, egg, flour, and vinegar. Pickled hot pepper adds spiciness.

Its taste resembles that of ciorbă de burtă — the famous Romanian tripe soup — and this is no coincidence: the recipe was created as a substitute for it.

The name comes from the town of Rădăuți in Suceava County, just a few dozen kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Now the soup is prepared throughout Romania.

In Romanian restaurants, Rădăuți soup is listed on the menu alongside ciorbă de burtă — as a milder alternative for those who do not eat tripe. It is served in a deep bowl, and with bread, it makes a complete meal.

History and name

The dish was invented by Cornelia Dumitrescu in Rădăuți during the strict economy of the 1980s when tripe was hard to obtain: she replaced it with chicken and adapted the soup to her own taste. The recipe, with a name indicating its origin, was included in the official collection of recipes by the Suceava County Tourism Bureau on February 14, 1982. The author became an honorary citizen of the town.

Ingredients and allergens

Chicken1 kg, or turkeyHomemade chicken is the base for paprikash, which was adopted from Hungarian cuisine in Transcarpathia.

Sour cream300 gThick homemade sour cream is the base for banosh and machanka, a common dressing for Carpathian dishes.Contains allergens: milk

CarrotAdded to mushroom soup.

Celery rootAromatic root for soup mixes.Contains allergens: celery

OnionFried onion in lard or oil is a common seasoning in Carpathian dishes.

Eggs2 yolksChicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Wheat flour1 tbspFor the dough of varenyky, palačinky, bobalyok, and pasky.Contains allergens: gluten

Garlic4–6 clovesA seasoning for bograch, kiselytsia, sausages, and trout.

Hot chili pepperpickled, to serveDried hot pepper that gives sausages spiciness and a reddish color.

Also: vinegar, salt, black pepper

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs, celery

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 6 servings

• Chicken — 1 kg, or turkey
• Carrot
• Celery root
• Onion
• Sour cream — 300 g
• Eggs — 2 yolks
• Wheat flour — 1 tbsp
• Vinegar
• Garlic — 4–6 cloves
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Hot chili pepper — pickled

1. Cover the chicken with cold water, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam. Add a whole carrot, celery root, and onion, salt, and simmer until the meat is cooked.
2. Remove the meat, take it off the bones, and cut it into strips. Strain the broth; the carrot can be grated and returned.
3. Mix the sour cream with the egg yolks and flour. Gradually, by the ladle, pour hot broth into the mixture to warm it up and prevent curdling.
4. Pour the mixture into the pot, return the meat, and heat without boiling vigorously.
5. Remove from heat, add crushed garlic and vinegar to taste.

How it is served

Hot, with pickled hot pepper and fresh bread; vinegar and sour cream are served separately.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

The town of Rădăuți in Suceava County, Southern Bukovina; now — all of Romania.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food

FAQ