Kapustnica

What it is

Kapustnica is a thick soup made from fermented cabbage. The festive version is dark, smoky, and spicy: it contains smoked meat, sausage, and definitely dried mushrooms. Dried plums are often added to soften the acidity.

There is no single recipe: in every region, valley, and even village, Christmas kapustnica is prepared a bit differently. In some places, it is lightened with sour cream, while in others, it is thickened with mashed potatoes or small dumplings.

It is cooked at the end of the year — on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and for the New Year's table, in a large pot for several days: the infused kapustnica is tastier.

Travelers most often taste kapustnica at Christmas markets — in cities, it is served hot directly from large cauldrons — and in mountain huts, where it is almost always available in winter.

History and name

In Slovakia, the word 'kapustnica' refers to both the brine of fermented cabbage and the soup made from it. The soup was a common winter food, and meat and mushrooms made it festive.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: festive, with smoked meat and sausage

Sauerkraut1 kgShredded cabbage, fermented with salt in a barrel; a winter supply for every mountain family.

Smoked pork (ribs, hock)400–500 gSmoked ribs or hock give soups with beans a smoky flavor.

Smoked homemade sausage2 pcs.Pork sausage with paprika (in Transcarpathia — piknytsia); it is added to lecho and bean soups.

Dried porcinia handfulWinter supply of a mountain family — for soup, machanka, and lean holubtsi.

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

GarlicA seasoning for bograch, kiselytsia, sausages, and trout.

Ground paprikaThe main spice for bograch and Transcarpathian sausages.

Dried fruitdried plums, optionalApples, pears, and plums dried in the sun or oven; the base for the Christmas uzvar — among Hutsuls, it's called 'varu'.

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

Also: caraway, bay leaf

Contains allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the traditional recipe
Depending on how it is served, may contain: milk
Diet: gluten-free

Variant: meatless christmas eve (catholic)

sauerkraut, dried porcini, potato, onion, dried fruit, cream

Contains allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the traditional recipe
Depending on how it is served, may contain: milk
Diet: lenten · vegetarian · gluten-free

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: 8 servings

• Sauerkraut — 1 kg
• Smoked pork (ribs, hock) — 400–500 g
• Smoked homemade sausage — 2 pcs.
• Dried porcini — a handful
• Dried fruit — dried plums
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ground paprika
• Caraway
• Bay leaf
• Sour cream

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for an hour. Cover the smoked meat with cold water and boil for about an hour.
2. Add the fermented cabbage (rinse if it is very sour) to the meat along with the mushrooms and the water in which they soaked. Add bay leaf, caraway seeds, and garlic.
3. Cook on low heat for another hour. Half an hour before the end, add the sausage, sliced into rounds, and the dried plums.
4. Fry the onion in fat, remove from heat, stir in a spoonful of paprika, and immediately pour into the soup — the paprika should not burn.
5. Remove the meat, cut it, and return it to the pot. Optionally, lighten with sour cream.
6. Let it infuse for at least a few hours, preferably until the next day.

How it is served

Hot, with fresh bread.

Variants

In Catholic families, a meatless kapustnica thickened with potatoes, dumplings, or cream is prepared on Christmas Eve; in Lutheran families, meat is included for Christmas.

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.

All of Slovakia; in mountainous regions — with their local recipes. The map shows the mountainous regions.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Christmas Eve · Christmas · Everyday food

In tradition

Kapustnica is the central dish of the Slovak Christmas Eve (Štedrý večer). Whether it is meatless or meaty depends on the family's denomination and local custom.

Safety

Only use mushrooms that are purchased or collected by someone who knows them well.

FAQ