Polish National Dishes

Kapusta Ziemniaczana (Polish Sour Potato and Bean Soup)

Introduction: Despite its name, this Lasowiacka dish contains no cabbage. It is a thick, tangy potato soup with colored beans and a savory topping of rendered pork fat, onion and crisp cracklings.

Polish National Dishes
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A wide view of „Kapusta Ziemniaczana (Polish Sour Potato and Bean Soup)“ arranged on a table for serving.
Yield 6 servings
Serving about 400 g
Diet contains pork; dairy-free; naturally gluten-free ingredients
Prep 20 minutes
Ingredients ↓
At a glance

Kapusta Ziemniaczana (Polish Sour Potato and Bean Soup)

Introduction: Despite its name, this Lasowiacka dish contains no cabbage. It is a thick, tangy potato soup with colored beans and a savory topping of rendered pork fat, onion and crisp cracklings.

The dish is associated with Kolbuszowa Górna, Niwiska and Kupno in Podkarpackie. The Polish Ministry of Agriculture describes an older method in which chopped potatoes soured overnight in the warmth of a cooling bread oven, then simmered with beans and finished with pork fat and onion. This measured home version keeps the potato, bean and pork-fat identity, while using prepared cucumber brine during cooking for a reliable sour flavor.

The brine method is a practical adaptation, not a claim to reproduce the texture or flavor of naturally fermented potatoes. Regional household recipes also use other souring liquids, and a separate modern version uses lentils. This recipe follows the bean-based version and partly mashes the beans to thicken the broth.

Serve it very hot as a substantial soup. The finished bowl should be thick but spoonable, with distinct potato cubes and whole beans suspended in a tangy broth. Add salt only after tasting because both brine and canned beans can be salty.

Tips

Tips

  • Use floury potatoes and cut them into even 1 cm cubes so they soften in the sour broth.
  • Choose commercially fermented cucumber brine with a clean, pleasantly sour taste, and refrigerate it after opening as directed on the label. Add it during cooking rather than fermenting cut potatoes at room temperature.
  • Mash about one third of the beans to give the soup body while keeping the rest whole.
  • Render the diced pork back fat slowly from a cold pan so the cracklings turn golden without scorching.
  • Taste before adding salt. Brine and canned beans vary widely in sodium.
  • The soup thickens as it stands. Loosen leftovers with a little hot water while reheating.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Potatoes and sour broth

  • 1,000 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
  • 900 ml water, or enough to cover the potatoes by about 2 cm
  • 250 ml commercially prepared fermented cucumber brine

Beans

  • 480 g cooked colored or cranberry beans, drained weight, drained and rinsed

Pork-fat topping and seasoning

  • 75 g pork back fat (słonina), rind removed and cut into 1 cm dice
  • 120 g yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 g ground black pepper
  • 0–3 g fine salt, only if needed after tasting
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Prepare the beans.Drain and rinse the cooked beans. Coarsely mash about one third and leave the rest whole; set aside. If starting with dried beans, soak and cook them separately until fully tender according to the package directions.

  2. Render the pork fat.Put the diced back fat in a cold small frying pan. Set over medium-low heat and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat is liquid and the cracklings are crisp and golden. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft and pale golden. Keep warm.

  3. Start the potatoes.Put the potato cubes in the heavy pot and add 900 ml water, or enough to cover them by about 2 cm. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2–3 minutes.

  4. Sour and soften.Pour in the cucumber brine and simmer gently for 18–22 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender and the broth tastes distinctly sour. Keep the liquid thick but spoonable.

  5. Add the beans.Stir in the mashed beans and whole beans. Simmer for 5–7 minutes, until the beans are steaming hot throughout and the mashed portion thickens the soup. Taste before adding salt.

  6. Finish and serve.Stir in the warm onion and rendered fat, reserving some crisp cracklings for the bowls. Add black pepper, taste again and add salt only if needed. Serve hot with visible potato cubes and whole beans.

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

  • Energyabout 360 kcal per serving
  • Proteinabout 10 g
  • Fatabout 13 g
  • Saturated fatabout 5 g
  • Carbohydrateabout 46 g
  • Sugarsabout 4 g
  • Fibreabout 9 g

The recipe contains pork and has no intrinsic major allergens. Check labels on brine and canned beans for product-specific ingredients and cross-contact. Nutrition is approximate; sodium varies substantially with the brine and beans, and the estimate assumes drained, rinsed canned beans with no optional salt. Use only fully cooked beans; soak and cook dried beans separately before making the soup.

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

Serving and storage: Serve in deep bowls while very hot. The soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still flow; add a splash of hot water if it becomes too dense. Rye bread is a simple accompaniment.

Serving and storage: Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the room is above 32.2 °C / 90 °F. Keep at 4 °C or colder and eat within 3–4 days. Reheat until the centre reaches 74 °C / 165 °F. Cooked beans can be prepared a day ahead, cooled promptly in a shallow container and refrigerated. Render the pork fat and onion on the day of serving for the crispest cracklings.

The recipe contains pork and has no intrinsic major allergens. Check labels on brine and canned beans for product-specific ingredients and cross-contact. Nutrition is approximate; sodium varies substantially with the brine and beans, and the estimate assumes drained, rinsed canned beans with no optional salt. Use only fully cooked beans; soak and cook dried beans separately before making the soup.

Sodium: about 800 mg

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