Name: Czernina: Polish Duck Blood Soup with Dried Fruit
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 113 min
Total time: 138 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1,000 g bone-in duck leg quarters; 300 g cleaned duck gizzards and hearts; 2.5 L water; 120 g yellow onion, peeled and halved; 150 g carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces; 100 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large pieces; 80 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large pieces; 2 bay leaves; 4 allspice berries; 120 g dried pitted prunes; 100 g dried apple rings; 250 ml chilled, vinegar-stabilized food-grade duck blood labelled for human consumption; 25 g plain wheat flour; 15 ml wine vinegar initially; adjust to taste; 15 g granulated sugar initially; adjust to taste; 8 g fine salt initially; adjust to taste; 1 g ground black pepper; 1 g ground cinnamon; 2 whole cloves; 240 g dry square egg noodles (łazanki)

A wide view of „Czernina: Polish Duck Blood Soup with Dried Fruit“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 bowls

Serving size about 350 ml soup, with about 40 g dry noodles per serving

Difficulty moderate

Category Polish duck and blood soup with dried fruit; contains wheat/gluten and egg

Ingredients ↓

About Czernina

Czernina: Polish Duck Blood Soup with Dried Fruit

Duck or goose blood gives Czernina its deep brown colour and distinctive savoury richness. Vinegar helps stabilize the blood and contributes the tart side of the soup’s characteristic sweet-sour flavour. Dried apples and prunes add fruitiness, while cinnamon, cloves and allspice make the broth gently aromatic. The flour-and-blood mixture should give the soup a light body without turning it into a thick sauce.

Czernina has a documented place in several Polish regional cuisines. The Ministry’s traditional-product entry describes a Wielkopolska form with duck or goose broth, offal, vinegar-stabilized blood, flour, dried apples and plums, and warm spices. Other documented regional versions may use goose, different fruit or potato dumplings. The present recipe is a practical duck preparation within this wider family, not a claim of exact regional reproduction.

The texture depends on gentle heat. Simmer the duck until tender, cook the fruit until plump, and temper the blood with hot broth before adding it to the pot. Once the blood is in, whisk continuously and avoid a hard boil. The finished soup should be dark, smooth and pourable, with visible fruit and pieces of duck; its flavour should balance sweet fruit, vinegar and savoury stock.

Tips for good results

Buy chilled, vinegar-stabilized duck blood labelled for human consumption; keep it cold and follow its use-by instructions.
Do not rinse raw duck or giblets; pat them dry and clean any surfaces that contact them.
Simmer duck and giblets gently until tender, checking the thickest meat for 74 °C.
Whisk flour into the cold blood until smooth before tempering it with hot broth.
Pour the blood mixture into the simmering soup slowly while whisking; avoid a rolling boil.
Cook the finished soup to at least 74 °C and adjust the vinegar and sugar only after it is fully cooked.

Ingredients

1,000 g bone-in duck leg quarters
300 g cleaned duck gizzards and hearts
2.5 L water
120 g yellow onion, peeled and halved
150 g carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces
100 g parsley root, peeled and cut into large pieces
80 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
120 g dried pitted prunes
100 g dried apple rings
250 ml chilled, vinegar-stabilized food-grade duck blood labelled for human consumption
25 g plain wheat flour
15 ml wine vinegar initially; adjust to taste
15 g granulated sugar initially; adjust to taste
8 g fine salt initially; adjust to taste
1 g ground black pepper
1 g ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves
240 g dry square egg noodles (łazanki)

Method

Directions

Prepare the duck, giblets and vegetables.Keep the duck, giblets and blood refrigerated at or below 4 °C until use. Do not rinse the raw poultry; pat it dry with paper towels. Peel and cut the carrot, parsley root and celeriac into large pieces; halve the onion. Keep raw duck separate from ready-to-eat foods, and wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling it.
Simmer the duck broth.Put the duck legs, gizzards, hearts, water, onion, carrot, parsley root, celeriac, bay leaves and allspice in a 5 L pot. Bring slowly to a simmer and skim the surface. Partly cover and simmer gently for 85–100 minutes, until the duck is tender and the thickest meat reaches at least 74 °C. Transfer the duck and giblets to a clean plate. Strain the broth; discard the bay and allspice, then cut the cooked roots into bite-size pieces and reserve them.
Soften the fruit and cook the noodles.Return the strained broth to the pot. Add the prunes, dried apple, cinnamon and cloves tied in a small spice sachet. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the fruit is plump and tender. Meanwhile, cook the łazanki in a separate saucepan according to the package directions until just tender; drain and keep covered. Remove the duck meat from the bones and cut it into bite-size pieces; slice the giblets.
Temper the blood and flour.Use only chilled, vinegar-stabilized duck blood sold for human consumption and follow its label. In a bowl, whisk the flour into the cold blood until smooth. Slowly whisk in about 250 ml hot broth, one ladle at a time, until the mixture is fluid and warm.
Finish the Czernina safely.Reduce the pot to a gentle simmer. Slowly pour in the blood mixture while whisking continuously. Add the duck, giblets and reserved roots. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring often; do not boil hard. Check the soup with a food thermometer and ensure it reaches at least 74 °C. Remove and discard the cinnamon-and-clove sachet. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper; taste for a balanced sweet-sour flavour.
Serve.Divide the cooked łazanki among six warm bowls. Ladle the dark soup over the noodles, distributing duck, giblets and fruit evenly. Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeabout 350 ml soup plus noodles
Caloriesabout 420 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 53 g
Proteinabout 24 g
Fatabout 14 g
Fibreabout 5 g
Sodiumabout 650 mg

Estimated values for one sixth of the recipe, including about 40 g dry egg noodles: These rounded estimates use generic composition data for duck, egg noodles, dried fruit, flour and vegetables. The edible yield from bone-in duck, retained skin and fat, blood product and noodle brand can change the values; this is not a laboratory analysis.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage, and make-ahead: Serve the soup hot over łazanki cooked separately, so the noodles keep their texture. For make-ahead preparation, cook the broth and duck, then chill them promptly; reheat the soup and cook the noodles fresh just before serving. Keep the chilled duck blood refrigerated according to its label until you are ready to use it.

Serving, storage, and make-ahead: Cool leftover soup promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at or below 4 °C. Use within 3–4 days. Store any leftover noodles separately. You can freeze the cooled soup in airtight portions, preferably without noodles. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat while stirring to 74 °C; prepare fresh noodles for serving.

Contains wheat/gluten from the flour and noodles, and egg from the noodles. Check the packaged blood and noodles for additional declared allergens. Use only chilled, vinegar-stabilized duck blood marketed for human consumption; do not use home-collected or uninspected blood. Keep raw duck, giblets and blood refrigerated and separate from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands and clean utensils and surfaces after handling. Cook the duck to at least 74 °C in its thickest part, away from the bone. After adding the blood mixture, check the soup itself with a thermometer and ensure it reaches at least 74 °C before serving. Cool leftovers in shallow containers within two hours and refrigerate at or below 4 °C; use within 3–4 days. Reheat to 74 °C while stirring.

Keep raw duck, giblets and blood separate from ready-to-eat foods and clean all contacted surfaces.

Use a thermometer to verify that both the duck and the finished soup reach at least 74 °C.

Czernina: Polish Duck Blood Soup with Dried Fruit

Tips for good results

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

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