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Hamburger Aalsuppe | Traditional Fish Soup From Hamburg, Germany | TasteAtlas

Hamburger Aalsuppe

(Verlorene Aalsuppe)

Hamburger Aalsuppe is a traditional eel soup originating from Hamburg. In the past, several hundred years ago, it contained no eel and was in fact called aol suppe in northern German dialect, which means all soup, referring to the leftover ingredients such as ham bones and old fruits and vegetables.


To Germans outside of the Hamburg area, aol sounded like Aal, meaning eel, so they complained that the eel was missing from the soup. That was the case until the late 18th century, when smart cooks started to add the eel to the broth, doubling the price of the soup in the process.


There is no fixed recipe for the soup, but the base is always prepared with a clear ham broth that's flavored with vinegar and sugar, giving it contrasting flavors. The usual ingredients include carrots, leeks, dried plums, apples and pears, knödel dumplings, and spices such as thyme, coriander, marjoram, and sage.


The eel is sliced thinly, then added into the pot at the last moment. In order to balance the sweetness of this soup, it's recommended to pair it with a dry white wine such as Rheingau or a bottle of beer. Interestingly, if the soup is nowadays prepared without the eel, it's called Verlorene Aalsuppe (lost eel soup).