Czerina, Czarnina, Czarna polewka Polish Duck Blood Soup Recipe

Czernina (from the Polish word czarny - black; sometimes also Czarnina or Czarna polewka) is a Polish soup made of duck blood and clear poultry broth. In English it is referred to as Duck Blood Soup.

Generally the sweet and sour taste of the soup comes from the addition of sugar and vinegar. However, there are hundreds of recipes popular in different parts of Poland and Lithuania. Among the ingredients used are plum or pear syrup, dried pears, plums or cherries, apple vinegar and honey. Like most Polish soups, czernina is usually served with fine noodles, macaroni or boiled potatoes.

Until the 19th century czernina was also a symbol in Polish culture. It was served to young men applying for the hand of their beloved ones after the parents rejected their proposal. It is a plot element in Pan Tadeusz, a famous Polish epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz.

It is also a regional dish in Kaszuby and Poznań. This version was sent in by a reader.

1 live duck
1/2 cup of vinegar
1 stalk of celery, chopped
Few sprigs of parsley
1 chopped onion
Bouquet garni of four whole allspice, four whole cloves, and four whole peppercorns
2 cups of dried mixed fruit (prunes, raisins, apples, pears, etc.)
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Raw potato dumplings

1. Chop off the head of a duck, and catch the blood in a glass bowl. Stir the vinegar into the blood. This will help to keep the blood from clotting. Set aside the mixture in the fridge to cool.

2. Pluck and dress the duck. Place the carcass - including the neck, heart, liver, and gizzards - into a large pot. Cover the carcass with water, and bring it all to a boil.

3. Skim the stock, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the celery, parsley, onion, and the small spice bag. Cook slowly until the duck meat is done (this will take about two hours).

4. Remove the spice bag from the soup and discard. Remove the duck carcass, pull the meat off the bones and return the meat to the soup. Add the dried fruit to the whole mix and cook about another thirty minutes.

5. Blend the flour into the sour cream, then slowly mix into the blood and vinegar. Slowly add about one cup of the hot soup stock to the mix of blood, vinegar, flour, and sour cream. Stir well and add it all to the stock pot. Be careful; if you add the soup stock too quickly, the mixture will curdle.

6. Add the sugar, salt and more vinegar if necessary.

7. Drop the stiff potato dumpling dough, one spoonful at a time, into the boiling soup stock or salted water. As soon they float to the top, your czernina is ready to serve.