National Dishes of the World

EN PL

Jota (sauerkraut and bean soup)
Photo: Fernando, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

soup

Jota (sauerkraut and bean soup)

jota

A thick soup of sauerkraut or sour turnip, beans and potatoes with smoked pork ribs and garlic.

Eaten in: Slovenia

Prep
20 min
Cooking
2 h
Resting
12 h
Total
14 h 20 min
Servings
6

Jump to recipe

About the dish

Jota is a hearty soup from western Slovenia, especially the Karst and the coast, where it has been cooked for generations as a simple, warming meal. Its base is sauerkraut or sour turnip, beans and potatoes, and its flavour comes from smoked pork ribs or bacon, bay leaf, garlic and a flour roux. Some of the potatoes and beans are mashed so the soup turns thick and creamy. Jota always tastes better the next day, which is why it is made in a big pot. It is served with a piece of bread, often as the only course of a meal.

Main ingredients

  • sauerkraut
  • beans
  • potatoes
  • smoked pork ribs
  • garlic
  • bay leaf

Slovenia: Most typical of the Primorska and Karst regions; a similar soup is also made in Trieste and Istria.

Recipe

Jota (sauerkraut and bean soup)

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/jota

Ingredients

6 servings

6 servings

Method

  1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain, cover with fresh water, add the ribs and bay leaves and simmer gently for about an hour.

  2. Cook the sauerkraut separately in a little water for 30 minutes.

  3. Add the peeled, diced potatoes to the beans and simmer for 20 minutes until tender. Lift out the ribs, take the meat off the bone and chop it.

  4. Mash some of the potatoes and beans in the pot, then add the sauerkraut with its liquid and the meat.

  5. Brown the flour in the lard, add the chopped garlic and paprika, stir for a few seconds and pour it into the soup. Simmer for 10 more minutes and season with salt and pepper.

  6. Ideally leave the soup overnight and reheat it before serving with bread.

From the same kitchen