Rosół

Name: Rosół
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Poland
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg), or 1kg chicken pieces with bones and skin; 200 g celeriac, peeled and cut into a few large pieces; 2 parsley roots (or 4 large parsley stalks with roots if unavailable); 3 medium carrots, peeled; 1 leek, trimmed and washed; 1 onion, halved and charred over a flame; 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, allspice berries, black peppercorns, dried mushroom, the Polish addition); 2 tsp salt; 2.5 litres cold water; 200 g thin egg noodles or vermicelli, to serve; 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Polish golden broth with chicken, celeriac, and parsley root: the Sunday soup of the Polish table

Origin: Poland

From the journey of Celery.

Rosół (pronounced 'ROH-sowh') is the most cherished soup in Polish cuisine, a clear, deeply golden broth made from a whole chicken (or hen), celeriac (seler), parsley root, carrot, leek, and onion, served with thin egg noodles. It is the soup of Sunday lunch in Poland, made in virtually every household every week and regarded as both nourishment and comfort in the deepest sense. Polish food culture distinguishes between rosół as broth (the liquid, consumed as a soup course) and the cooked chicken and vegetables that are served alongside it, often dressed with horseradish or used in salads. Celeriac is one of the four essential aromatics, alongside parsley root, carrot, and leek: that give Polish rosół its characteristic golden colour, its floral sweetness, and the aromatic complexity that distinguishes it from a plain chicken stock. The root vegetables of Eastern Europe are deeper, more assertive flavours than their Western counterparts, and Polish cooks have long known that the right combination of root aromatics is the secret of a great broth. Rosół is the first food given to the sick and to mothers after childbirth; it is the soup that Poles abroad make when they are homesick. It is the centre of Polish food culture in a way that few dishes in any cuisine achieve.

Ingredients

Meat

1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg), or 1kg chicken pieces with bones and skin

Celery

200 g celeriac, peeled and cut into a few large pieces

Aromatics

2 parsley roots (or 4 large parsley stalks with roots if unavailable)
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, allspice berries, black peppercorns, dried mushroom, the Polish addition)

Vegetable

3 medium carrots, peeled
1 leek, trimmed and washed

Base

1 onion, halved and charred over a flame

Seasoning

2 tsp salt

Liquid

2.5 litres cold water

Noodles

200 g thin egg noodles or vermicelli, to serve

Garnish

3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Method

Place the chicken in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil: this should take 20–30 minutes. Skim off all grey foam that rises with a ladle. Patience here is essential for a clear broth.
Once the liquid is simmering and clear, add the charred onion, celeriac, parsley root, carrot, leek, and the bouquet garni with the dried mushroom.
Add salt. Simmer very gently (barely trembling, never boiling) for 2 hours. The surface should be still, with the gentlest shimmer. A boil will cloud the broth.
The broth is ready when it is a deep golden colour and deeply fragrant. Carefully remove the chicken and vegetables. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or muslin.
Cook the egg noodles separately in boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain and portion into bowls.
Ladle the hot golden broth over the noodles. Scatter with chopped parsley. Serve immediately. The chicken and vegetables are served alongside on a separate plate: the chicken shredded, the carrots and celeriac sliced.

Notes

The best Polish rosół is made with an older, mature hen (kura) rather than a young chicken, the older bird has more flavour and produces a richer, more golden broth. If you can find a mature boiling hen from a butcher or Polish food shop, use it (it will need 3–3.5 hours to become tender). Young chicken produces a good rosół in 2 hours. The cooked celeriac and carrot from the broth are traditionally diced and served alongside with a horseradish cream or used in Polish surówki (shredded vegetable salads). The broth can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated, any fat will solidify on the surface and can be removed before reheating.

The Gastrographer

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control