Blåbärssoppa

Swedish wild bilberry soup served warm or cold, the iconic drink of the Scandinavian wilderness

Origin: Swedish Highlands and Dalarna, Sweden

From the journey of Blueberry.

Blåbärssoppa is not a soup in the savoury sense but a warm or cold bilberry drink of extraordinary simplicity: wild bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) simmered with water and a little sugar, thickened slightly with potato flour, poured into a glass and drunk. It is the restorative drink of the Swedish mountain world, sold at every fjällstuga (mountain hut) in the Swedish highlands from Sälen to Kebnekaise, consumed by cross-country skiers returning from the trail, hikers descending after a high-altitude crossing, and school groups in the forest. Its position in Swedish culture is closer to that of English tea than any culinary preparation: a warm comfort drink associated with the outdoors, with physical effort, and with the boreal landscape. The recipe is almost impossible to make incorrectly and almost impossible to improve upon. The key is the bilberry: only V. myrtillus produces the intense violet-blue colour and the tart, deeply aromatic flavour that defines blåbärssoppa. Cultivated highbush blueberries produce a paler, blander soup. This version gives the ratio used in the Swedish mountain hut tradition.

Ingredients

Berries

  • 400 g wild bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) or dark, fully-pigmented wild blueberries, fresh or frozen

Base

  • 700 ml water

Sweetening

  • 60 g caster sugar, or to taste

Thickening

  • 2 tbsp potato flour (potatismjöl) or arrowroot, dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water

Flavouring

  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds of half a vanilla pod (optional)

Method

  1. Combine the bilberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are very soft and the liquid is deep violet.
  2. If a very smooth soup is preferred, pass through a sieve or blend briefly. Swedish mountain hut blåbärssoppa typically retains the berries; the traditional style is semi-smooth with some berry texture.
  3. Return the soup to the heat. Add the vanilla if using. Stir in the dissolved potato flour, whisking constantly. Bring just back to the boil and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened — it should be the consistency of a light, pourable sauce, not a thick gel.
  4. Taste and adjust sweetness. Serve warm in mugs or glasses, or cool completely and serve chilled over ice in summer.
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