Luxembourgish Esaü soup is a hearty lentil stew made by cooking lentils with herbs and vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, and leeks. The dish is typically seasoned with salt and pepper, and it can optionally be enhanced with ingredients such as various spices, smoked bacon, butter, and cream or milk.
This simple stew derives its name from Esau, a character mentioned in the Old Testament who was the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the one who sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob, for a bowl of stewed lentils (a "mess of pottage"). The dish is also commonly referred to as
Jacob's lentil stew or
Esau's pottage.