A Deliciously Tasty Swedish Fruit Soup Recipe

In Norwegian households prior to the 1960s, Swedish Fruit Soup, or Fruktsoppa, was a staple during the brisk winter months, with the holidays, and at breakfast.

Dried fruits replaced the fresh variety, a luxury at the time. It is classed as an old-world soup, with various versions popping up in Scandinavian countries.

What would be considered a traditional, deliciously tasty Swedish fruit soup? The Swedes create their fruit soup with peaches, golden raisins, and pears, lighter varieties of fruits.

The Norse use darker ingredients, however, like black raisins and prunes. Let’s look at this unique take on soup more in-depth.

What Is A Deliciously Tasty Swedish Fruit Soup Recipe?

Fruktsoppa is a versatile Swedish fruit soup that can be served warm or cool during any season and with any means during the day. It can act as an entree or an appetizer, but some choose to include it as the dessert at the end of the meal.

Many people traditionally incorporate the soup into their holiday tradition or add it as part of a celebratory occasion.

In today’s variations, many countries use no distinction with the fruits they use, often incorporating fresh fruit, home-canned, store-bought cans, or the traditional dried varieties.

Many recipes have evolved from the traditional, with some incorporating, but tossing out, rice, while others stick with the classic tapioca. Thickeners can be cornflour or even “arrowroot.” Juices can be grape, lemon, or perhaps a cherry juice or berry. Recipes might consist of a tart apple, but others won’t.

For the recipe here, “Ms. Chandra Curtis @ Barefootbabi” is supplying the ingredients and instructions for her grandmother’s fruktsoppa. Her grandma is of Swedish descent and made this followed by her mom starting the tradition during the holidays.

Chandra Curtis’s Grandma “Mor-Mor Wallberg’s” Fruktsoppa Recipe

Ingredients

• ¾ c dried apricots pitted
• 3/ c dried prunes, pitted
• ½ c raisins
• ½ c golden raisins or white raisins
• 6 c water
• 1 c fruit juice (mixture of fruit – white grape/peach or your preference
• She prefers to make raspberry or strawberry gelatin with half the water called for (unrefrigerated) into a juice without the sugar)
• 2 sticks cinnamon – break in half
• ½ lemon – cut in half and slice thin
• ¼ c quick-cooking tapioca
• ¾ c sugar
• ¾ c orange – peeled and diced or substitute a small can of mandarin oranges
• 1 apple (optional) – peel, core, slice, or dice for added spice; use a pinch of powdered cloves or nutmeg

Instructions

1. Soak the prunes, apricots, and raisins in a large saucepan holding the 6 cups of water for 30 minutes
2. Add the juice or gelatin mixture along with cinnamon, lemon, tapioca, sugar, and nutmeg or cloves (if you choose to add this ingredient) and bring this mixture to a boil
3. Reduce the heat allowing the ingredients to come to a simmer, and cover. Let it sit for roughly 25 minutes with an occasional stir to prevent sticking
4. Uncover to add apple slices and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the apples become tender
5. When the soup is ready, you should notice the fruit has become plump and tender, and its consistency will be comparable to a cooked pie filling before it cools. When that’s not your result, it can be the result of your altitude and other variables. Mix tapioca starch with a bit of cold water and put this into the soup a little at a time until the consistency is as it should be. If your mixture is too thick, add some juice or water.
6. When it’s how you prefer it to be, pour the contents into a bow and allow it to cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks.
7. You can serve the dish at any temperature you like, whether warm, cold, room temperature or even frozen. Many people enjoy having it with ice cream, yogurt, and cream. Some will make it a savory dish and add sour cream.
8. If you want to make this an adult dish or a celebratory concoction, with each serving, add 1 tsp of rum, wine, brandy, cognac, or other liquors you enjoy when served.

The Origins of this Recipe

This recipe comes from a traditional Swedish household and uses fresh fruits. In Norway, before the 1960s, fresh fruits were not available with ingredients consisting of dried fruits.

In contrast, Norwegians would find an orange in the toe of their Christmas stocking to savor with their fruktsoppa on that holiday morning.

When using dried fruits, a similar methodology is used whereas the cook will chop the dried fruits, including prunes, raisins, apricots, pineapples, and any number of choices, cover these in a pot with water where they will come to a boil, and then slow back down to a simmer.

This process rehydrates and plumps the fruit making it soft. The juices, along with zests from oranges and lemons and spices from cinnamon and nutmeg, add “oomph” to the dish, but if you really want to give it a “kick” in Norway, they will add their favorite alcohol like brandy.

Aside from the taste, a welcome benefit of the soup for the Norwegian household is the warmth it adds and the welcoming waft that roams through the house.

That’s whether early in the morning before anyone wakes to enjoy a sumptuous breakfast or when guests arrive for a joyous Christmas celebration.

In Conclusion

The imagination is your only restriction when assembling what could be many variations of fruktsoppa. The recipe is remarkably versatile, using any number of fruits depending on your palette and choice of making it a savory entree, a sweet dessert, or a healthy addition to your breakfast routine.

In keeping with tradition, however, the dried fruit ingredient is a staple, with the soup commonly served cold. You do have the option of serving it warm, which boasts of being favorable. That’s due to the fact that it’s offered during the winter season and often with the holidays.

While the Swedish fruit soup is an unusual offering, one not all of us are familiar with, it’s a curious one to try and enjoy. Many families have passed the tradition from one generation to the next, as is true with the recipe offered here, making it a holiday favorite in households everywhere.

The suggestion is that the fruktsoppa dish is a “dying” one in Norway, but it seems only to be picking up steam in other countries on menus in restaurants and with cooks in their homes. Many are choosing to add Fruktsoppa to their family culture worldwide. Perhaps it will make its way back to the Norwegian family table one day.

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