Rhubarb Soup – Norwegian Rabarbrasuppe

This Norwegian rhubarb soup is an easy cold rhubarb dessert and its tart but sweet taste will become a quick favourite.

I know I previously said I wanted to explore rhubarb recipes that did not include making a rhubarb dessert.

And so I made rhubarb syrup, basil rhubarb shrub and spicy pickled rhubarb instead.

But a friend told me about a simple cold rhubarb soup and I was really curious.

And so I started reading up on how to make it and put together my own recipe.

Cold Rhubarb Soup

Please if you’ve grown up with Norwegian rhubarb soup this likely isn’t your grandmother’s recipe.

The same is true for Finnish rhubarb soup, it’s a classic Finnish food similar to the recipe from recipe.

However, My rhubarb soup recipe is more like a classic fruit soup that has one major difference.

I blended the soup into a puree instead of leaving pieces of rhubarb whole in a sweet fruity broth.

I know this is the traditional way to eat rhubarb soup in Norway. However, I knew I wouldn’t like the texture so I quickly pivoted.

       

And to be honest I wasn’t so sure I’d like the idea of a cold rhubarb soup at all. But I surprised myself!

This fruit soup is sweet, but also tart.

And with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream (Cool Whip in our case) it is a really easy summer dessert to make ahead.

You can make it a couple days in advance and serve it chilled. The brightness of the rhubarb is really refreshing.

So even though I like to profess I don’t like desserts. This one is really good.

       

Quick Note on Cooking with Rhubarb

I quickly learned that the colour of rhubarb is not an indication of how sweet or tart it may be.

In fact, the sweetest rhubarb is often the Victorian rhubarb variety (in the pot below), which is usually a light rose pink with lots of green.

   

This produce rhubarb soup is more like a rosy peach colour as you’re mixing green and red together.

If you want a bright coloured rhubarb soup you need to pick crimson rhubarb stalks, but you may need to add a bit more sugar than I’ve indicated in this recipe.

I would make it and then test the sweetness.

       

An Easy Rhubarb Dessert

Rhubarb is ridiculously easy. Bring ingredients to a boil, simmer 25 minutes, add cornstarch and stir until thickened.

Then throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve chilled.

Resist the temptation to put strawberries in this dish. Rhubarb has such a good flavour on its own, it does not need strawberry.

       

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