25 February 2020
Cookhouse
Tyrolean Easter Tradition: Really Fine Fasting Soups
Every year on Ash Wednesday, the traditional fasting period begins in Tyrol. An old Christian custom intended to cleanse and strengthen body and spirit in the 40 days leading up to Easter. However, the focus is not necessarily on body cult and excess kilos, but rather on shedding unnecessary routines and questioning one's own life patterns. The cleansing spring cleaning is back in vogue and can be designed in a variety of ways: One refrains from spirits, meat, and sweet sins, simply silences the smartphone for a while, or meets up for delicious Tyrolean fasting soups.
Liquid does not break the fast.
In the past, Christian fasting was enforced much more strictly – during the day, at most one pious (meatless) fasting meal was allowed. Since ancient times, the principle "Liquid does not break the fast" has been upheld in the Catholic Church. Clever Bavarian monks brewed the first strong beer for this reason – and even received papal approval for it: when the sample sent to the Vatican in 1751 arrived completely spoiled, the holy church father praised the exceptional suffering endurance of the Paulaner monks and blessed the robust fasting beer of God’s grace. However, one doesn’t need to imitate the monks’ 40-day beer prayer today – one can also do penance without a hangover. And that is with fine fasting soups, which are traditionally enjoyed together in Tyrol on Ash Wednesday. Local associations and families invite to spontaneous soup kitchens, offering liquid delicacies without meat. This is also the case in Leutasch, where delicious fasting soups are served for free every Ash Wednesday at Föhrenwaldplatzl in Leutasch (opposite Sport Wedl).
Fasting soups for connoisseurs
Preparation of Fasting Soup
For one of these fine fasting soups, the Leutascher soup mistresses Maria, Christl, and Margit shared their recipe with me. The foundation of such soups lies in the holy trinity of their ingredients: butter, flour, and broth (or water) – nothing else. So it’s a very classic "Brennsupp’n", which can then be enhanced with all sorts of delicacies, the three soup sisters know. A fasting soup should be simple and easily digestible – so you can happily recreate the following recipe at home, share it with friends, and expand it as you please.
Ingredients:
- 40g fat
- 40g flour
- 2 small onions
- 3 carrots
- 1 piece of celery
- 1 clove of garlic
- some leeks
- about 3 liters of water
- parsley
- salt, pepper, cumin, nutmeg, bay leaf, marjoram, rosemary, juniper
To taste:
- some starchy potatoes
- a handful of local mushrooms
- some parsnips
- stale (sliced) bread
- cereal flakes
- barley grains
- chives
- a splash of white wine (vinegar)
- a pinch of sugar
Preparation:
Peel the onions, parsnips, and carrots; wash and slice the leek; peel the celery; pluck the parsley from the stem; crush the garlic and cook all the vegetable scraps with salt and water for about three hours to make a strong broth. Then remove the solids, set the stock aside, finely chop the onions and sauté them in butter until translucent. Next, add the flour and roast it to a golden to dark brown color, then deglaze with the broth and continuously stir to bind to a creamy burnt soup. Finally, finely dice the carrots and celery and boil them until soft in the bubbling broth. Refine with salt, pepper, cumin, and spices to taste, and serve garnished with parsley. Instead of or along with the root vegetables, local mushrooms (mushroom soup), potatoes (potato soup), barley grains (barley soup), or some bread (farmer’s soup) can also be added as an ingredient in the fine fasting soup in the Leutasch style.
Served Delicious Fasting Soup
Freshly tapped fasting joy
Those who fast maintain a controlled calorie deficit, says the nutrition specialist. It cleanses the intestines, body, and mind – but can occasionally lead to slight chills, mild irritability, and hungry rumblings in the stomach. One can counteract these entirely normal side effects not only with delicious Tyrolean fasting soups but also with fine tea infusions or a soothing wellness stay. In the medieval walls of the Klosterbräu & Spa in the historic village center of Seefeld, one can even walk in the footsteps of Bavarian monastery brothers – including home-brewed beer prayers.
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