Thoughts:
This is a sweet and refreshing soup. The flavor of the rosehips is earthy and filling, with a bit of an acidic tang. The color of the soup is a rich dark orange-brown color, which can be lightened with a bit of yogurt. The additional ingredients, of vanilla and spices, add to what is already a subtle and complex flavor. Overall it tastes healthy, and no wonder. Rosehips have a very high vitamin C content, so I especially recommend this soup if you are feeling a little under the weather.
Proposed Location?
Either practically in the north, or aesthetically down in the Reach. Apart from the obvious rose connection to House Tyrell, this soup speaks of a summer outing. I imagine the Tyrells enjoying this soup in King’s Landing, and delighting in being able to incorporate rosehips and rose water into their feasts.
I could also see a very different version of it being consumed up in the North, where the high vitamin C content of the rosehips would be highly valued. The Night’s Watch could boil down the rosehips into a syrup that could be added to mulled wine, porridge, or any number of other dishes and drinks.
Rosehip Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cups crushed dried rose hips
- 4 cups of water
- 1/4 cup honey, or more to taste
- 1/4 of a vanilla bean, split and scraped and then tossed in, or a dash of vanilla extract
- a dash of cinnamon
- 1 Tbs. arrowroot, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water, to thicken
- yogurt (optional)
- additional toppings, as wished (nuts, granola, etc.)
Combine the crushed rosehips and water in a medium saucepan. Simmer for around 45 minutes, or until the rosehips are very soft. Strain the liquid through a sieve, and then using a spoon, press as much of the pulp through the sieve as will go.
Pour this liquid back into the cleaned saucepan, and heat over medium. Add the remaining ingredients except the yogurt and cook for 5 minutes more. Pour into bowls, top with yogurt, and enjoy!
dried rosehips
This is pretty much the most swedish food there is, especially as a light between-real-meals thingy, usually served with a bunch of tiny cardamom (i think)-biscuits strewn over it.
Yeah, as a Swede I can confirm this. The biscuits are made out of almonds, and I have absolutely no idea why or how to make them. Some Swedes associate rosehip soup with, say, their grandparents. Personally, I’ve come to associate it with childhood and my parents making it for me when I’ve been home from school due to colds; the association is so strong for me that it pretty much works like a placebo cure: if I feel slightly ill, rosehip soup will make everything better, and it always works. Sometimes it’s served with ice cream, usually vanilla.
Yup, the same here; my grandmother *always* made this soup when I was young, and just seeng the picture makes my mouth water. Only thing missing is the “special” version with a dollop of vanilla icecream in it *drools*
You both had me at “vanilla ice cream”. :) I’ll have to give that a try!
They’re really good with Keso as well, basically a Swedish type of cottage cheese… That’s how my mother served it to me for breakfast…
Great tip!
did anyone else notice the kitty-like smiley face? :P
Funny I would take the soup and make it into a frozen dessert similar to granata. I bet that would be awesome.
Where can we find dried rosehips in the US? I know I can get them mixed in herbal teas or by themselves in teabags, but that’s about it.
You can often find them at specialty health food stores, but they are readily available online, as well. I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs.
Haha, I came to the comment section to mention that this is the first time I’ve ever seen rosehip soup mentioned outside of Sweden – I’ve even tried to explain what it is to British friends without succeeding – and what do I see, but two other Swedes already commenting. :-) It’s awesome, everybody should try it!
We (at least I) usually buy it pre-made here, or in a powder form you just mix with water and boil (there’s even a cold version, just stir into water and drink). If I can find proper rosehips I might try to do it this way though. I could probably just head out for a walk and pick some, but I’m not sure if that’d work. Maybe I’ll go check the health store out.
Good luck, everybody!
I was just outside looking at the fat rosehips in my garden. I think I might have just enough of them for a batch of soup as soon as they’re ripe and dried.
Just made it! Delish! I had fresh rosehips in the yard and wasn’t sure how to use them. Thanks for the recipe. I also made fresh rosewater with the roses. Tomorrow morning I will try the poor knight french toast with rosewater syrup from your other blog!
Where can you find dried rosehips and arrowroot? And what condition should the arrowroot be in before you add it to the water?
I get my arrowroot from specialty health food stores, where it’s often sold as a thickening agent. The rosehips I either gather myself, or also get at natural food stores. You should be able to get both online, too!
Thanks! Out of curiosity, is the Arrowroot used in this recipe powdered or whole?
Powdered. I’d like to play with the whole roots sometime, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. ;)
Have you ever tried to make this into a faux tomato soup? I’m getting ready to try because I’m in the midst of making some rose hips jam.
I just made a savory version of soup. My Faux Tomato soup. Yum, yum! You can’t tell the difference, I added some heavy cream to my recipe to cut the acidity. For all of you who want to try this I can tell you all will have a hard time discerning the difference.
I used an immersion blender and strained, added to a pot at medium heat. Salt, pepper, garlic and chicken stock and heavy cream.
Excellent recipe! thank you for sharing.
Question: What would the traditional almond biscuit recipe be called?