From South Bohemia to You
Czech cuisine is well known for having a wide variety of soups to choose from. In this article, we’ll look at kulajda.
Kulajda is a sweet and sour soup that has its origins in South Bohemia.
Owing to its origins in peasant food, this soup is highly variable in content and preparation. The variability of the soup increased as it spread from South Bohemia to other areas of the country.
A bowl of kulajda can be as individual as the fingerprint of the person who prepared it and can also be a good reflection of local tastes of the region it is served in.
Kulajda is, by my observations, also a dish that people have sharply divided opinions on. Czechs and foreigners alike seem to either love or hate kulajda, some people just don’t expect sweet and sour flavour from a soup. I’ve also met many people who have a strong dislike of dill, a key ingredient in kulajda.
Diving into Kulajda
As stated in the first section of this article, kulajda can be a variable dish. To get at the heart of this soup, let’s look at the parts of it that are not variable.
The potato cream soup base is certainly not variable, all kulajda starts with that. Other non-variables include vinegar or sour cream to give acidity and fresh dill as the primary seasoning.
Some people also say that mushrooms are an absolute requirement for a proper serving of kulajda. This is understandable given that many Czechs are very fond of mushrooms and picking fresh mushrooms when they are in season is a very popular activity for many people in the nation.
I’ve only had kulaja once that didn’t have mushrooms and it was made by someone who couldn’t eat mushrooms. It was tasty, but there was definitely something missing. With as popular as mushrooms are with many Czechs, I would not try to argue with anyone who claimed they were essential to kulajda.
Eggs are another thing you may or may not see in kulajda. Some variations of the soup include slices of hard boiled egg, or a whole poached egg.
When there is a meat component in kulajda, it is almost always pork.
Typical seasonings in a kulajda recipe might include: bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and whole carraway seeds.
Try it Yourself
You don’t have to go all the way to the Czech Republic to try kulajda, you can make it yourself. Here are links to recipes for the soup from a few different websites:
Whichever recipe you try, keep in mind that kulajda is a rich and hearty dish where a little can go a long way. When you see it offered in restaurants, it can be found as a main meal just as often as it can be a starter.
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