Hideg Meggyleves
This Hungarian dish is good news for all vegetarians looking for food in a Hungarian cuisine that usually specializes in meat foods. Hideg Meggyleves is a soup made from cream and sour cherries. A healthy appetizer or a refreshing drink; this vegetarian cold soup is a Hungarian favorite.
Hideg Meggyleves is a Hungarian soup made from sour cherries and not from sweet cherry. It is a cold soup.
Sour cherry soup is a cold soup made with sour cream, sugar and fresh sour cherries. Several European cuisines serve it as a summer delicacy. A Hungarian original, Hideg Meggyleves has been adapted by the Austrians, Germans, Slovaks and the Poles who have added their own variations to the dish. Hungarian-Americans and Hungarian Canadians brought the soup to the world.
HISTORY:
Hideg means cold, meggy means sour cherries and leves means soup. Thus the name arises. Hideg Meggyleves is traditionally served as an appetizer or dessert after dinner. However, it does make a refreshing snack on a hot summer afternoon.
The dish was inspired from the abundant sour cherry trees found in Hungary. The soup is quintessential of a fusion of Hungarian cuisine and Continental European.
THE MAKING:
Common ingredients are Sour cream, cinnamon, cloves, sour cherries and sometimes fresh cream. A small amount of dry red wine or sweet wine is also used.
In the age of ready-to-eat foods, Meggyleves owder is manufactured and sold in Hungary by the Knorr company.
Preparing Hideg Meggyleves is a simple four step process- Simmer-Thicken-Chill-Finish.
Boil water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan. Stir for two to three minutes on medium heat to dissolve the sugar and bring to simmer. Add the cherries and a pinch of salt and simmer for the next half an hour. Remove the cinnamon stick. Add cornstarch to thicken the soup. This shall simmer for the next three minutes, after which, the soup can be removed from the stove and refrigerated. Just before the soup is served, add the sour cream.
VARIATIONS:
Moving away from the cookbook can yield interesting results. A little experimenting always goes a long way. A few modifications tried on Hideg Meggyleves are:
- Substitute the cherries with strawberries for a tangy flavor. The same cooking method is followed.
- Add half a cup of red wine, rose wine or dry sherry with the cream.
- To add greater flavor, save the cherry pits, wrap them in a towel and hammer them to make a powder. Simmer the powder wrapped in cheese cloth along with the cherries and remove the bundle with the cinnamon stick.
FACTS!
Sour cherry soup is relished by Hungarian families when the cherries are in season which is late spring or early summer. It is followed like a tradition in Hungary. Every family thus has its own special recipe.
Hideg Meggyleves is also served as a first course, in which case it is called meggykeszőce leves.
- Vishwadha Chander
Tags: cherry soup, cold soups, hungarian soup, hungarian sour cherry soup, soup, sour cherry soup
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