Pickle Soup Is The Ideal Comfort Food For Dill Lovers

Pickle lovers rejoice because it turns out that drinking the leftover brine out of the jar and downing pickleback shots aren't the only way to consume your favorite snack in liquid form. True pickle fans can turn their love for the veggies into the main event by making pickle soup, which is tangy, briny, and full of dill flavor.

So, what ingredients do you need to make pickle soup? Sour dill spears are usually the go-to choice since sweet versions would dramatically alter the dish's flavor. And, of course, you'll need some of that tangy brine from the jar. Besides those star ingredients, this soup typically contains veggies like russet potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, chicken or vegetable broth, butter, sour cream, and seasonings like salt, pepper, bay leaves, and garlic. Of course, extra dill can garnish the final product, along with more chopped pickles and black pepper. The result is a veggie-filled, zesty soup that, thanks to the addition of dairy items, is pleasantly rich and creamy as well. 

While pickle soup recipes vary, the sour cream-based version is a Polish dish called zupa ogórkowa. The term translates to "cucumber soup," although it uses the briny version of the veg. The Baltic region is no stranger to sour flavors in hearty dishes — as evidenced by borscht and sauerkraut (which can also be made into soup) — and pickling was common because it was one of the few ways vegetables could last through the long, harsh winters. The high amounts of salt and potassium in the main ingredient were used to help cure hangovers in Eastern Europe and are still consumed for this reason. But this soup was meant to be a kitchen sink-type recipe full of leftover ingredients, such as the assortment of veggies included. Sour cream is also a staple in Polish food (commonly served alongside pierogis), and pickle soup is no exception.

While zupa ogórkowa is typically a hot dish served in the winter, the Poles don't stop slurping cucumbers in the summer. The cold version of this meal is chłodnik ogórkowy, a fresh cucumber soup made with dill and buttermilk, and is served with hard-boiled eggs. It can also include radishes, beet leaves, chives, garlic, lemon juice, and sour cream or kefir, which can be subbed out for buttermilk. Neither the hot nor cold soups skimp on the tangy flavors, but if you're a true pickle fanatic, try this dish's warm, salty version.