Switzerland: Basler Mehlsuppe / Carnival Soup

Once the holiday periods of Christmas and New Year's are past, and once the January doldrums of work and everyday life set in again, the attention of many people who live in Central Europe turns to thoughts of the next holiday along. Historically -- with the exception of local saint's days and various other church holidays -- this has usually meant the Carnival season, a period of parades and celebrations designed to ease the transition into the penitential fasting time of Lent (while also using up rich food and drink that couldn't be consumed during the Lenten season). From these early carnivals -- the word is probably derived from the Latin, carne vale, "goodbye to meat" -- many others worldwide, such as New Orleans's Mardi Gras and its great cousin in Rio de Janeiro, are descended.

In some parts of Europe, and specifically in such parts of Germany as Köln / Cologne, this season has been underway for months: the Kölnisch carnival season begins on "Elf Elf", the eleventh of November. But most other carnivals really kick in about a week before Ash Wednesday, in at least several days of eating, drinking, dancing, partying, and general costumed madness.

One of the notable exceptions to the timing is the famous carnival of the city of Basel / Basle / Bâle, on the northwestern border of Switzerland. Basel's carnival is called Fasnacht, and it doesn't start until four AM of the Monday after Ash Wednesday.

There are Swiss who say that the Baslers only do this to be difficult. The Baslers themselves -- who some call "the New Yorkers of Switzerland" -- laugh and ignore the opinions of others: they have been going their own way for a long time, and they do the same as regards what many of them regard as de drey scheenschte dääge, "the three best days in the year". For those three days, nonstop, from four AM on the Monday to four AM on the Thursday, the city of Basel essentially shuts down except for its hardiest bars, pubs and restaurants. Its streets fill with elaborately costumed members of the parade guilds or cliques, who fife and drum their way through the confetti-buried city streets in large groups and small at all hours of the day and night. Nothing can stop them but the desire for food and drink (and very occasionally sleep). And the food most often associated with Fasnacht in Basel is mehlsuppe.

The word translates most simply as "flour soup", but the translation does not do the soup justice. Mehlsuppe is a hearty, strongly flavored soup based on a beef stock, prominently featuring browned flour and onions, sometimes red wine, and seasoned not only with peppercorns but also with medievally-slanted spices now more typical of sweet dishes than savory ones -- usually cloves, but sometimes adding or substituting nutmeg or allspice, depending on who's cooking. Fasnacht marchers and visitors alike sop this soup up by the gallon and at all hours over the Three Best Days.

At other times of the year, mehlsuppe is available almost everywhere in Switzerland as a soup mix, or even canned. But none of these can compare with the impact of the freshly-made soup -- as attention-getting and unforgettable as being bopped on the bean by a thrown tangerine from one of the Fasnacht parade floats.

Click on "read more" to see two typical mehlsuppe recipes.    

Here are two mehlsuppe recipes. The first is fairly basic.

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups beef bouillon
• salt
• pepper
• nutmeg
• marjoram
• grated Sbrinz or Parmesan cheese

Brown the flour in the melted butter in a heavy pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until well browned, but be careful not to scorch or burn it by using heat that's too high. Take your time!

Add the chopped onions and sauté. Add the water and bouillon and simmer for at least three-quarters of an hour. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg and marjoram. Garnish with the grated cheese and serve.

Red wine is the best accompaniment. Some Baslers like to pour some of their wine into the soup before eating it.

This recipe is slightly different, more mildly seasoned, but reflecting the preference for adding red wine.

• 4 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup sliced onions
• 1/2 cup robust red wine
• 1 quart beef stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh butter
• 1 thickly cut slice wholemeal bread per person
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• Salt and pepper

Heat the flour gently in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it begins to turn pale golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. In another pan, lightly fry onions in butter. When transparent, blend them into the flour and then gradually add the beef stock, the wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cook gently, stirring frequently for about 30 minutes. Put a slice of bread in each person's plate, with a good sprinkling of cheese on top. Pour soup into each plate and serve at once.