Czernina (pronounced: , from ''czarny'' --- "black"; sometimes also ''czarnina'' or ''czarna polewka --- black soup'', or even "gray borscht", ''barszcz szary'') is a Polish

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...

made of duck

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in th ...

and clear poultry broth. Sometimes known as "duck soup", yet hen, rabbit or pig blood can also be used. In English it can be called "duck blood soup".

Flavours

Generally the sweet and sour taste of the soup comes from the balance of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and vinegar. However, there are hundreds of recipes popular in different parts of Poland,

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. Among the ingredients used are

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

or pear syrup, dried pears, plums or

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

, apple vinegar and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

. Like most Polish soups, czernina is usually served with kluski, fine noodles,

macaroni Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines ...

, boiled potatoes, or dumplings.

Symbol

Until the 19th century czernina was also a symbol in

Polish culture The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...

. It was served to young men applying for the hand of their beloved. If the suitor was rejected, he would be served czernina. It is a plot element in ''

Pan Tadeusz ''Pan Tadeusz'' (full title: ''Mister Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse'') is an epic poem by the Polish poet, writer, translator and philosopher Adam Mickiewicz. The b ...

'', a famous Polish epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz. It is also a regional dish in Kashubia, Masuria and Poznań. Czernina is very similar to Swedish

svartsoppa Svartsoppa ("Black soup") is a soup consumed traditionally and mostly in the province of Skåne in southern Sweden. The main ingredient is goose blood (or sometimes pig blood). It is often eaten before the goose dish at the '' Mårtens gås'' or ...

References

Polish soups Blood soups Duck dishes Pomeranian cuisine Polish cuisine {{poland-cuisine-stub

Flavours

Symbol

See also

References