Real Krkonoše sour

What is Krkonoše sour? You don't know, or you think you know this dish. Do you really know it? Krkonoše kyselo is a sour soup, typical of the Krkonoše and Podkrkonoší region. And it is there that this dish is referred to only by the word kyselo. That is how I refer to it in the following text.

In pubs and public soup kitchens, you will see the label "Pravé krkonošské kyselo", but that's just marketing and that's what authenticity means. I have never eaten honest sour in a commercial kitchen. Personally, I label the sourdough I cook as "Genuine Kerkonošské kyselo na městský mode special". And that's because it's a real fix, rich as in the city and extremely thick.

History

But first, in order to understand what sour is, I'll give an overview of the specific historical conditions in the Krkonoše region. Podkrkonoší and Krkonoše have always belonged to the poorer parts of the Czech lands. In contrast, the large towns in the region and southern Moravia are not known for sourness. The main reason is, of course, the higher altitude, which causes a colder climate. Also, the soil in the Krkonoše Mountains is dense and not very fertile, typically clay, whereas the region has fluffy black topsoil. That is why the region has always been poorer and meat was often not eaten here even on public holidays. People valued eggs in those days, especially in the Giant Mountains. Thanks to the poorer pastures, the cattle had less milk to process, which, unlike today, was all used up. And the most valuable, the fat in the form of butter, which is made by churning cream, was mostly sold to make sugar and salt.

Now it is obvious how poor the region was. And where there was no meat, mushroom picking was abundant, and in the Krkonoše Mountains, even "scabious" mushrooms are collected, which are of course edible. In addition to mushrooms such as porcini mushroom, sub-mushroom, buckthorn, diatoms, etc, grey mushrooms, spike mushrooms, chimney mushrooms and pink mushrooms are also collected in the Giant Mountains. Mushrooms have become the basis for the Krkonoše soup. Mushrooms are used for sour soup essentially dried! In the summer there was plenty to eat, and so richer meals were eaten and mushrooms were added fresh to meals. The surplus mushrooms were therefore dried to store for the winter, when they were then used in various dishes. Only mushrooms are dried!

Ingredients

• Dried mushrooms
• water
• potatoes
• sour dough
• cumin
• salt

Yes, this is all the list!
By not using dried mushrooms you are breaking the traditional technological procedure of making sourdough! Sourdough is nothing but bread starter, which is used as a base for bread dough. This dough is quite common in the Krkonoše shops, but for example, the roasted Kerkonošáky often have no choice, but to travel to the Krkonoše for this dough.

Preparation

Soak the mushrooms in water beforehand. Then boil them with cumin and salt. Add the sour dough mixed with water and continue to heat the soup, stirring constantly, and the soup gradually thickens, until it comes to the boil and is ready after a while. (For better mixing of the dough it is good to soak it the day before.) The sour soup is served with boiled potatoes that have been cooked separately.
When the Krkonoše people get tired of sourdough, instead of sourdough with potatoes, they serve potatoes with sourdough:-).
It is common to add onion to sour, optimally fried until golden brown. A proper sour must not be thin and taste like bread soup. But it must be vigorous and so thick that it will fill you up as a main dish. In fact, it was served as a main dish, even several times a day, many times a week. Like probably every Czech recipe, the soup reaches its optimum taste only the next day.

Other ingredients

The other ingredients of Krkonoše Kysel are nowadays considered to be a common part of kysel. Usually milk was added, which partly diluted the soup instead of water. On feast days, an egg was added, in some places it is customary to fry it, in others it is made as a so-called quick egg, i.e. cooked directly in the soup. I prefer fried. As you can see, cream is not added to the sour! I guess it's a phenomenon nowadays - to modify the recipe and improve the dish and put in a lot of other sources of fat. In the Czech Republic it is popular to add cream. But by adding cream you are breaking the recipe, because Kerkonošák could not afford cream!

Right sour

So if you want a real Kerkonossian sour in the city way, then put all the above-mentioned enhancement ingredients in your sour, but please no cream. And if you want a special, then make a sour so thick you'll have to force yourself to stir it, and when it cools, the sour will solidify like jelly. You can dilute it with milk afterwards, and such sour will last much longer in the fridge.

If you follow the ingredients and the cooking procedure, you not only get a cheap and very tasty dish, but also a healthy dish that is suitable for an athlete's diet or for a reduction diet.