East German, after a Russian model · Main course · 55 min

Solyanka (Soljanka)

Name: Solyanka (Soljanka)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 235 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: East German, after a Russian model
Ingredients: 100 g smoked bacon (diced); 150 g Jagdwurst (German hunter's sausage) (in cubes of about 1 cm); 150 g poultry sausage (in cubes of about 1 cm); 100 g salami (in cubes of about 1 cm); 3 medium onions, finely diced; 2 red peppers (in strips about 1 cm wide); 3 gherkins (in slices about 1 cm thick); 80 g tomato purée; 2 cloves garlic (crushed); 2 tbsp capers; 150 ml gherkin brine (from the jar of gherkins); 1 l meat stock; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp mustard; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp sambal oelek (or chilli flakes, depending on how hot you like it); salt and pepper (season only at the end, the stock, sausage and gherkins are already salty); 4 tbsp soured cream (to serve); 1 lemon (in slices, to serve); toasted bread (ciabatta or baguette) (on the side)

A robust, sour-salty soup with three kinds of sausage, peppers, gherkins and capers, served with a dollop of soured cream and lemon.

As of: 11 October 2026

Ingredients

100 gsmoked bacon (diced)
150 gJagdwurst (German hunter's sausage) (in cubes of about 1 cm)
150 gpoultry sausage (in cubes of about 1 cm)
100 gsalami (in cubes of about 1 cm)
3medium onions, finely diced
2red peppers (in strips about 1 cm wide)
3gherkins (in slices about 1 cm thick)
80 gtomato purée
2 clovesgarlic (crushed)
2 tbspcapers
150 mlgherkin brine (from the jar of gherkins)
1 lmeat stock
1bay leaf
1 tspmustard
1 tspsweet paprika
1 tspsambal oelek (or chilli flakes, depending on how hot you like it)
—salt and pepper (season only at the end, the stock, sausage and gherkins are already salty)
4 tbspsoured cream (to serve)
1lemon (in slices, to serve)
—toasted bread (ciabatta or baguette) (on the side)

Time: 30 min active · 55 min total · + 3 h resting
Difficulty: easy

How do you like the recipe?

No ratings yet.

Preparation

Prepare all the ingredients: dice the sausage and bacon, chop the onions, cut the peppers into strips and the gherkins into slices.
Render and brown the bacon in a large pot over medium heat. Add the Jagdwurst and poultry sausage and brown well, then fry the salami briefly with them.
Add the onions and fry until translucent. If anything sticks, add a splash of water.
Add the peppers, tomato purée and crushed garlic and fry briefly.
Stir in the gherkins, gherkin brine, capers, bay leaf, mustard, paprika and sambal oelek. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Best left to infuse for several hours or overnight and then simply reheated.
Serve hot with soured cream and a slice of lemon, with toasted bread on the side.

Drink with it

Vodka · excellent match
Clear vodka, neat and ice cold
Ice cold and neutral, it clears sausage fat and salt from the palate and stands beside the acidity of gherkin and lemon; in Russia it is drunk with soups like this.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Pale lager · excellent match
Pilsner or Helles, ice cold
Carbonation and hop bitterness cut through the sausage fat and tomato purée without drowning the acidity of the soup.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Fruit brandy · good match
Clear fruit brandy (plum or cherry), ice cold, in a small measure
The subtle stone-fruit character lifts the pepper and tomato, and the alcohol clears the sausage fat.
What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin

With the same drinks

This pairs well too.

East German, after a Russian model · Main course · 55 min

Solyanka (Soljanka)

A robust, sour-salty soup with three kinds of sausage, peppers, gherkins and capers, served with a dollop of soured cream and lemon.

As of: 11 October 2026

Ingredients

100 gsmoked bacon (diced)
150 gJagdwurst (German hunter's sausage) (in cubes of about 1 cm)
150 gpoultry sausage (in cubes of about 1 cm)
100 gsalami (in cubes of about 1 cm)
3medium onions, finely diced
2red peppers (in strips about 1 cm wide)
3gherkins (in slices about 1 cm thick)
80 gtomato purée
2 clovesgarlic (crushed)
2 tbspcapers
150 mlgherkin brine (from the jar of gherkins)
1 lmeat stock
1bay leaf
1 tspmustard
1 tspsweet paprika
1 tspsambal oelek (or chilli flakes, depending on how hot you like it)
—salt and pepper (season only at the end, the stock, sausage and gherkins are already salty)
4 tbspsoured cream (to serve)
1lemon (in slices, to serve)
—toasted bread (ciabatta or baguette) (on the side)

Time: 30 min active · 55 min total · + 3 h resting
Difficulty: easy

How do you like the recipe?

No ratings yet.

Preparation

Prepare all the ingredients: dice the sausage and bacon, chop the onions, cut the peppers into strips and the gherkins into slices.
Render and brown the bacon in a large pot over medium heat. Add the Jagdwurst and poultry sausage and brown well, then fry the salami briefly with them.
Add the onions and fry until translucent. If anything sticks, add a splash of water.
Add the peppers, tomato purée and crushed garlic and fry briefly.
Stir in the gherkins, gherkin brine, capers, bay leaf, mustard, paprika and sambal oelek. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Best left to infuse for several hours or overnight and then simply reheated.
Serve hot with soured cream and a slice of lemon, with toasted bread on the side.

Drink with it

Vodka · excellent match
Clear vodka, neat and ice cold
Ice cold and neutral, it clears sausage fat and salt from the palate and stands beside the acidity of gherkin and lemon; in Russia it is drunk with soups like this.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Pale lager · excellent match
Pilsner or Helles, ice cold
Carbonation and hop bitterness cut through the sausage fat and tomato purée without drowning the acidity of the soup.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Fruit brandy · good match
Clear fruit brandy (plum or cherry), ice cold, in a small measure
The subtle stone-fruit character lifts the pepper and tomato, and the alcohol clears the sausage fat.
What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin

With the same drinks

Solyanka (Soljanka)

Preparation

Drink with it

Clear vodka, neat and ice cold

Pilsner or Helles, ice cold

Clear fruit brandy (plum or cherry), ice cold, in a small measure

This pairs well too.

Chebureki (Fried Minced-Meat Turnovers)

Labskaus (North German corned beef and potato hash)

Pelmeni with Sour Cream

Polish-style stuffed cabbage rolls (Gołąbki)

Solyanka (Soljanka)

Preparation

Drink with it

Clear vodka, neat and ice cold

Pilsner or Helles, ice cold

Clear fruit brandy (plum or cherry), ice cold, in a small measure

This pairs well too.

Chebureki (Fried Minced-Meat Turnovers)

Labskaus (North German corned beef and potato hash)

Pelmeni with Sour Cream

Polish-style stuffed cabbage rolls (Gołąbki)