🌿 Maundy Thursday Soup: Historical Recipe with 9 Herbs
An Ancient Germanic Custom: Strength for Spring
The ancient Germanic tribes already knew the Nine Herb Soup (Neunkräutersuppe). This profound custom belongs to the Ninefold Belief (Neunerlei-Glaube). Everything is taken in ninefold number, such as nine sacred herbs or nine woods.
Strengthening the Spirit: This soup served the people of that time to actively strengthen their defenses and prevent spring fatigue. It powerfully embodies the beginning of spring and that Mother Nature is finally awakening to vibrant life.
Timing the Magic: We always eat the Nine Herb Soup at the Spring Equinox. But it is also a welcome herbal soup during the Easter season. In the Christian faith, it is eaten on Maundy Thursday and is therefore also called Maundy Thursday Soup (Gründonnerstagssuppe). Elsewhere simply Spring Soup.
There are so many different recipes for this Nine Herb Soup, and nearly every one contains different herbs. With this article, I would like to introduce you to our magical Nine Herb Soup.
🥣 Our Magical Nine Herb Soup: The Recipe
For the preparation, you take a handful of each of these 9 sacred herbs:
Stinging nettle leaves (Brennnessel)
Goutweed leaves (Giersch)
Daisy (Gänseblümchen) blossoms
Dead-nettle leaves (Taubnessel)
Dandelion (Löwenzahn) (if it’s blooming, the blossoms too)
Chickweed (Vogelmiere)
Ribwort plantain leaves (Spitzwegerich)
Garlic mustard leaves (Knoblauchsrauke)
Parsley (Petersilie)
Then you will also need:
Butter
Flour
Broth (Brühe)
Salt & Pepper
Egg yolk
Sour cream
Onions (I cannot provide exact quantities, as I mostly cook by intuition and feeling.)
The Preparation:
Sauté the onions in the butter until golden yellow, then add the flour and stir until beautifully smooth and creamy.
Afterward, fill everything up with the broth, stir well, and set aside.
Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary.
Chop the sacred herbs finely and place them into a soup bowl.
Now the hot broth is poured directly over the herbs.
Finally, fold in an egg yolk and the sour cream.
Sprinkle a few fresh herb leaves over the top to garnish.
✨ Variations and the Magic of the Number Nine
Of course, this herbal soup can also be refined. Perhaps with wild garlic (Bärlauch) or mint leaves. Peas are also very delicious. If you still have stinging nettle seeds or dried ribwort plantain blossoms, you can add them to the herbal soup.
Important: The specified herbs can, of course, be exchanged, but they should remain ninefold in number so that the Nine Herb Soup can fully unfold its magical and healing properties.
A Finer Touch: If you prefer it finer, you can also purée this soup. If you cannot find that many wild herbs yet, you can also cook yourself a very simple stinging nettle soup.
