Kartoffelsuppe

The story

In northern Germany, Kartoffelsuppe is a standard of Hausmannskost, plain home cooking. Potatoes simmer with carrots, celery and onion in salted water or broth until soft, and part of the pot is mashed, so the soup turns thick enough to count as an Eintopf. Fried bacon or onions add savor, parsley goes on top, and a Saxon recipe in the Berliner Kurier names marjoram as the key seasoning. Most bowls come with a sausage. Berliners pair the soup with Bockwurst; elsewhere it may be wieners, meatballs, liverwurst or blood sausage, with bread or rolls on the side. The name and the partners change across the map. In Austria and parts of southern Germany it is Erdäpfelsuppe or Grumbeeresuppe. In the Palatinate and Saarland, Grumbeersupp comes with plum cake or steamed yeast dumplings, and Swabians sometimes serve apple fritters on the side. In Mecklenburg, Tüffel un Plum adds diced Kassler or bacon and prunes to the pot. Its ingredients are the ones that keep through the cold months: potatoes, root vegetables and smoked meat. A loaf of rye bread and a jar of mustard for the sausages are all the table needs.