Hungarian Meggyleves (Cold Sour Cherry Soup)

About This Recipe

Hungarian Meggyleves is a real, traditional Hungarian dish, known as Cold Sour Cherry Soup. A chilled, sweet-tart sour cherry soup enriched with sour cream and a hint of cinnamon, served as a summer starter.\n\nMeggyleves reflects Hungary's tradition of fruit soups, particularly popular in summer when sour cherries are in season, often served as a light, refreshing first course before a heavier main meal.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Hungarian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gfresh or frozen pitted sour cherries
• 1 Lwater
• 100 gsugar
• 1cinnamon stick
• 200 mlsour cream
• 2 tbspall-purpose flour
• 1 tbsplemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Simmer the cherries

   Combine cherries, water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the cherries soften and release their juice.

2. 2

   Remove the cinnamon

   Discard the cinnamon stick.

3. 3

   Thicken

   Whisk sour cream and flour together, then stir a ladle of the hot cherry liquid into it to temper before whisking it back into the pot.

4. 4

   Simmer briefly

   Simmer gently for 3 minutes until slightly thickened; do not boil hard, which can curdle the cream.

5. 5

   Add acidity

   Stir in lemon juice and taste, adjusting sugar if needed.

6. 6

   Chill and serve

   Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours, and serve cold as a starter or light dessert.

Variations

• •

  A version with a splash of red wine added to the cherries makes a more adult, dinner-party-appropriate variation.

• •

  Some households add a few whole cloves along with the cinnamon for extra warmth.

• •

  Serve with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dessert-style presentation.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions