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Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup)
A sharp, bright green spring soup of sorrel and potatoes cooked in smoked pork broth, finished with chopped hard-boiled egg and a spoonful of sour cream, with rye bread alongside.
Latvian · easy · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 80 min
~411 cal · 27g protein · 28g carbs · 21g fat · 6g fiber · 2g sugars · 10g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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In spring, as soon as the first leaves come up, Latvians pick sorrel and young nettles from gardens and meadows and make them into soup. The Latvian name, skābene, comes from skābs, sour, and the sourness of the leaves is the whole point: skābeņu zupa is sharp, fresh and green after a long winter.
The broth is usually made by simmering smoked pork ribs or ham hock, which gives it a smoky depth that balances the sorrel. Diced potatoes cook in it until nearly soft, then the shredded sorrel and the meat go in for just a few minutes, and chopped hard-boiled egg is stirred through at the end. Families add their own touches: a handful of nettles, grated carrot, fried onion, rice or barley.
It is served hot with a dollop of sour cream, which softens the sourness, and a slice of dark rye bread. Sorrel soup is made across Eastern Europe, and in Latvia it is counted among the traditional dishes of the season.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten- and nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 400 g smoked pork ribs or ham hock
- 2.5 litres water
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
- 400 g fresh sorrel leaves, stalks removed, finely sliced, or a 300 g jar of preserved sorrel
- 3 eggs
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 2 tbsp dill, chopped
- 150 g sour cream, to serve
Instructions
- 1Put the ribs in a large pot with the water and bring to the boil, skimming off any foam. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- 2Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool them in cold water, peel and chop them finely.
- 3Lift out the ribs. Add the potatoes to the broth, bring back to the boil and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until nearly soft. Strip the meat from the bones and chop it.
- 4Add the sorrel and the meat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sorrel turns olive green and melts into the soup. Season well with salt and pepper.✎ Chef’s noteSorrel changes from bright to olive green within a minute of heating. That is normal, so do not keep cooking it to chase the colour.
- 5Take off the heat and stir in the chopped egg and dill. Serve hot with a spoonful of sour cream and dark rye bread on the side.
Latvian spring home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Riga. The Christmas table is supposed to carry at least twelve dishes, and folklore says you must finish your bowl of grey peas or spend the new year in tears, since the peas stand for prosperity. Beyond midwinter the table is rye bread, sour cream, dill, cold beet soup and smoked Baltic fish.
🗺️
Latvia. Latvian cooking is hearty and grey-pea-loving, built on rye bread, pork, potatoes, and the beloved cold beet soup. Foraging, dairy, and dark bread reflect a deep connection to the Baltic land and forest.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Latvia
Grey Peas with BaconNutty grey peas simmered soft and tossed with crisp bacon and fried onion, Latvia's unofficial national dish.
Sklandrausis (Rye Carrot Tart)Little hand-raised rye pastry cases filled with potato and sweet spiced carrot purees, baked until set, an ancient Livonian specialty.
Frikadeļu ZupaA light, clear broth with tender meatballs and vegetables, a homey Latvian everyday soup.
Browse all Latvia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup)?
A sharp, bright green spring soup of sorrel and potatoes cooked in smoked pork broth, finished with chopped hard-boiled egg and a spoonful of sour cream, with rye bread alongside.
Where does Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) come from?
Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) is a Latvian dish from Riga, Latvia.
Can Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Skābeņu Zupa (Latvian Sorrel Soup) take to make?
About 100 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 80 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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