Croatian Flour Soup (Prezgana juha)
This is the simplest soup ever. I used to eat this soup during digestive problems as a diet soup. This is probably the soup prisoners used to eat, or soldiers, or just poor people. This is the recipe I use.
This is the simplest soup ever. I used to eat this soup during digestive problems as a diet soup. This is probably the soup prisoners used to eat, or soldiers, or just poor people. This is the recipe I use.
- Carbohydrate 22.7682431234881 g
- Cholesterol 4.75 mg
- Fat 6.71108374998058 g
- Fiber 2.32890628420428 g
- Protein 5.00307187479533 g
- Saturated Fat 2.32795281249693 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (560g)
- Sodium 249.06137499996 mg
- Sugar 20.4393368392838 g
- Trans Fat 0.472564687493561 g
- Calories 170 calories
Step-by-step
- Melt lard in a pot and put flour to fry.
- Wait until brownish, add paprika and water and make creamy liquid.
- Slowly add water mixing all the time.
- Add caraway seeds, salt pepper and cook 30 minutes.
- If you like you can put egg white into just before soup is done and mix well.
- In the meantime cut bread slices into small cubes and fry it on lard until dry and crispy.
- When serving, put bread in a plate with soup and eat it.
Browned flour soups belong to an extensive European family of peasant broths that extract maximum flavor from minimal resources, transforming basic pantry items into sustaining nourishment through thermal technique. Historically rooted in regions where lard and grain formed the foundation of daily subsistence, prezgana juha relies on dry heat to alter the starch properties of all-purpose flour before liquid enters the vessel. Frying the flour in animal fat achieves a distinct nutty aroma and caramel color through non-enzymatic browning reactions, while simultaneously coating the starch molecules with lipids to prevent lump formation when water is introduced.
Mastering the Roux and Broth
Controlling the heat during the initial browning stage requires patience, as scorched flour imparts an acrid taste that cannot be corrected later. Maintain medium-low heat while stirring the flour continuously into the melted lard until the mixture reaches a deep amber hue. Introduce the cold water gradually while whisking vigorously to disperse the toasted starch evenly. Simmer the resulting liquid for thirty minutes to eliminate any raw flour taste and allow the caraway seeds to release their aromatic essential oils into the broth. Assessing doneness relies entirely on visual and textural cues rather than thermal readings; the soup should achieve a uniform, slightly opaque body with a fragrant, herbaceous aroma from the caraway and paprika.
- If the roux develops dark black specks instead of an even brown color, discard the batch and lower the burner temperature.
- Should lumps form during water addition, pass the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve before returning it to the pot.
- Ensure bread cubes are fried until completely dry and golden brown to prevent them from disintegrating instantly in the hot broth.
