How much more festive can you get than this Hungarian Christmas Wine Soup. The flavor is tart and sweet, also very rich with the addition of egg yolks. Bookmark it now for next year!
I know, a bit late for a Christmas recipe, but who cares you can make this festive Christmas wine soup year round. Hungary has a weird obsession with unusual soups. When I was there I had strawberry soup and elderflower soup. When I got back I made the classic sour cherry soup. While researching a recipe for ATW12P I came across a Christmas Wine Soup. The bulk of the soup is white wine. How could I not give this recipe a try!
PIN IT FOR LATER https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/266275396702661928
This post is my contribution to the Around the World in 12 Plates group. Each month the group explores a suggest country. For this month we are off to Hungary…a country I have visited in June 2016! The food is delicious there but very heavy.
Let me show you what I mean with some food pics from that trip.
Are you “Hung-ary” after seeing these pics?
Fancy dinner at Karpatia: this building was built by Franciscan monks and has been a restaurant since 1877. Grilled catfish steak with paprika served with tagliatelle, sausage, cottage cheese and lecsó (a Hungarian ratatouille). Great list of Hungarian wines. Did you know Hungary is a huge producer of excellent wines?
For breakfast, lunch or snack time, why not try a few open sandwiches?
You can find so many farmer’s markets in Budapest but the biggest one is Nagyvásárcsarnok, or Great Market Hall, which opened in 1897. The ground floor is filled with locals choosing local produce, sausages galore and paprika in every form.
Dinner at the charming Kazimir restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto. A local brew and Kedvessy pork medallions with duck liver, porcini sauté and cottage cheese dumplings.
All these food wonders are from the Pest side. Yes Buda and Pest are 2 cities. There is plenty of fine dining and amazing sites to explore in old town Buda as well.
Waiter, there is booze in my soup
Like lots of booze, most of the Christmas wine soup is made with alcohol. Will you get drunk on it? The answer is probably not. To prepare the soup we must bring the wine to a short boil. This will not make all the alcohol evaporate but I would say 3/4 of it will. So better still stick to one portion 😉
Borleves | Hungarian Christmas Wine Soup
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 4 egg yolks
Instructions
- To a saucepan, add 3 cups of the wine, water, sugar, cloves, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium.
- In the mean time, beat well the egg yolks with the 1/2 cup of wine.
- Once the soup is boiling, add a ladle of the soup slowly to the egg mixture, beating constantly. Add another ladle in the same fashion.
- Beat the egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly, until the soup thickens a bit (don't let the eggs curdle). Strain and serve immediately.
If you want to learn more about Budapest and see pictures of the city, head over to my post which also includes a recipe for the quintessential Hungarian summer soup: Cold Sour Cherry soup, or Hideg Meggyleves.
I have 2 more posts from that trip as well, which includes the southern Austrian countryside, Vienna market and Buda, and more of Vienna and a cruise on the Danube.
Check out all the wonderful Hungarian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
Sneha’s Recipe: Hungarian Beef Goulash
Magical Ingredients: Langos – Hungarian Potato Fry Bread
Sugarlovespices: Hungarian Gerbeaud Cake
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Lamb Soup With Sour Cream (Palócleves)
Making Miracles: Beef Goulash
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hungarian Short Ribs
Pandemonium Noshery: Rakott Krumpli – Hungarian Potato Casserole
Kitchen Frau: Túrós Csusza (Pasta with Cottage Cheese)
CulturEatz: Borleves | A Hungarian Christmas Wine Soup
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Hungarian Braised Short Ribs
I’m all for booze in my soup. 🙂 Good stuff — thanks. And happy holidays!
That soup is absolutely intriguing! It looks light, but so flavourful and creamy. I am definitely going to be giving that a try this holiday season. Thanks for such an interesting recipe.
I’m so glad that you reshared this in time for us to include it in our Christmas Menus. Thanks.
I have a Hungarian friend who says that this soup was usually made for Christmas Eve. Since Advent (including Christmas Eve) was considered a season of fasting by Catholics at that time, no meat was eaten and hence, this meatless soup of wine and eggs.
Indeed Christine, that is correct it is a Christmas soup,a merry one though with so much wine 🙂
ooooh, I have been in Hungary twice and I haven’t seen that soup anywhere. I will try to find it in May when I will be look for it. – sounds to be very yummy. 🙂
What a hearty filling soup! I’ve been to Budapest many years ago and I still remember its beauty! Happy New Year my dear friend!
Thank you and Happy New Year to you to Katerina. So happy you have wonderful memories of Budapest.
Yum! I love soups and this recipe seems mouth-watering. Love the combination of ingredients, Evelyne! 🙂
Thanks Agness, it is an unusual but delicious combo for sure 🙂
Well this is new! I’ve never heard of wine soup. After looking at your lovely pictures and going through the ingredients list this definitely something I have to make.
I had never heard of it before either. You’ll be amazed at how creamy it is just with the yolks.
Definitely unusual, but I’d happily eat a bowl! Hungary is on my bucket list—hope to get there one day!
I like your adventurous spirit 🙂 I was a great city to visit, hope you do make it to Hungary!
I love the cherry soup so I’d be interested in trying this. I’d love to visit Hungary one day too!
I am sure you would like it Lorraine. And yes you HAVE to go, very nice city and a bit more off the beaten path 🙂
This soup looks delicious! What I wouldn’t’ give to have a bowl of it right now in this extremely cold weather! I loved the food that I ate on my visit to Hungary…so delicious…and inexpensive!
Thank you Melody and yes it’s like going to be -35 C with the wind ALL DAY today, omg!
These are lovely pictures Eve. I hope I will travel there soon. Nice soup, looks delicious but I am afraid I will stick to my chicken noodles soup hehehehe.
LOL it’s not for everyone…but do visit if you have chance that city 🙂
I really need to go to Budapest! I have heard so many lovely things about this city!
The food looks great – however being pregnant it is probably for the best that I stay away from the boozy soup 😀 (I will forward the recipe to my boyfriend! Maybe he can enjoy what looks very very delicious to me)
Happy New Year
X Louise
It’s a great city, good if you like to delve into political past too, god and bad. Ha ha yes, you can enjoy the soup after the pregnancy … although 75% of the booze evaporates when boiling. Happe New Year xo
I so want to see Budapest! And this soup sounds amazing.
It’s a fabulous city, and unique fun soups 🙂
I’ve not yet been to Budapest but would love to visit. dod you try the ChocoMe Chocolate? I profiled them recently on my site. It is delicious. when I read Wine Soup, I was interested. But when I read that it is primarily made of wine and eggs, I had second thoughts. I cannot imagine how this would be good, as I don’t care for cloves either. Bit I do love Goulash, and would very happily opt for that. Happy New Year to you!
I hope you visit one day, great city! Don’t I tried that chocolate. Yeah itis not a soup for everyone I am sure…but it is better than what you imagine lol. But unique 🙂
Those open-face sandwiches sure looked nummy! All the Hungarian food I’ve had is delicious.
So cool you have had Hungarian food already!
Definitely would love to have some more education on Hungarian food! This looks so vibrant and fresh!
Thank you and it is a great cuisine to discover!
This sounds like a delicious and warming soup! Perfect for this time of year. I’ll try it when I next go to Hungary, I’m hoping to revisit Budapest this year
Oh it really hits the spot Suze 🙂 So awesome you might go back this year!
Interesting challenge, Evelyne! The soup sounds great and the sandwiches would be delicious! Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year!
Fun group but just ended … I have one in the works coming soon. Happy New Year Pam!
This is so intriguing! Is this soup something you’d serve pre-dinner, or more as a dessert?
Love seeing the pics from your trip to Hungary as well!
Thanks, Korena and it is totally a pre-dinner, first service, kind of soup. As odd as it sounds lol. I hope to go back one day and explore more.
It was nice to have you on the challenge, Evelyn, and to meet you at the last FBC! This soup looks really good and the flavors are so interesting! Winter is long, this soup is not only right for Christmas time 😉 . Happy New Year!!
Thank you and it was so nice to meet you as well. Who knows what the future ahead has planned too. Yes it is a very unique soup and will make you and your spirits warm on a cold day 🙂
I’m not sure what to say about this. I’ve never heard of this before, and I’m surprised it doesn’t contain onions and sour cream like most Hungarian recipes do, lol. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me.
LOL OMG I was sure I was gonna get a reaction out of you with this post! No it is sweet, quite a bit of sugar, but tart with a dry wine. And the egg yolks make t so rich…who need sour cream. Cannot take credit, just goof internet research on Hungarian cuisine.
What a unique soup! I will take a couple of sandwiches and the soup for my 2nd dinner 🙂
Happy New Year, Evelyne!
Yes it is unique, and rich! Perfect with a sandwich. great to use up leftover wine bottles after the parties lol. Happy New Year, Angie!
What an interesting challenge Evelyne. Is the group still accepting members? I think this would be a fun project for 2018.
Happy New Year, Wendy! I think it was only for 2017 and the group is ending…but I am not sure so if it is still ongoing I’ll send you a message on FB -)