09 Jan The best Polish soup for Winter: spiced “Krupnik”

A thick vegetable soup with barley and a twist

While my girls always prefer rosól, for me this is hands’ down the best Polish soup for Winter. This year, my mum decided to experiment and added some warming spices such as turmeric and nutmeg, as well as the usual allspice (that you will find in most Polish soups). I ate two bowls without uttering a word. It was delicious, so I would like to share this spiced version of Krupnik with you. We have all been fighting pesky colds and this thick, stewy soup is like medicine.

Krupnik in Polska cookbook

You will find another version of Krupnik in my first cookbook, Polska. It is a lighter Krupnik, as it’s cooked on a chicken thigh and you add a bit of bacon later. The main difference, however, is the pearl barley. This makes it taste more like an English soup in my opinion. At the time of writing that book, it was easier to get hold of pearl barley. I have decided that I actually prefer the traditional, small barley groats in this soup, which are less processed and therefore healthier too. In the Polish shop, it’s called kasza jęczmienna. If barley groats are tricky to come by, you can use pot barley or even pearl barley (though this needs a shorter cooking time).

Recipe for spiced Polish Krupnik