History
Aalsuppe's name confused for centuries; Hanseatic Plattdeutsch "aal" means "all" (Allesuppe, all-bits soup), not eel (Aal). The dish was a working-class Sunday soup of leftover bits with dried pears, apples, prunes, vegetables and pork bones, with eel added by harbour-side cooks who had river eels in season. The sweet-sour combination is the Hanseatic signature. Old Commercial Room and Fischereihafen Restaurant cook the canonical Hamburg versions; the optional eel addition is now standard in tourist-facing rooms.
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Common allergens: Fish, Sulphites (in vinegar)
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.5kg pork bones or smoked ham bone
- 2 litres water
- 100g dried prunes
- 100g dried apple rings
- 100g dried pears
- 200g carrots, diced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 200g celeriac, diced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 100g butter
- Optional: 300g smoked eel, sliced
- Salt, white pepper, parsley to serve
Method
- Simmer the bones in water 90 minutes; skim foam. Strain and reserve 1.5 litres broth.
- Soak the dried fruits in 200ml warm water 20 minutes.
- Make a light roux: melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 2 minutes; whisk in the strained broth.
- Add carrot, leek and celeriac; simmer 15 minutes.
- Add drained fruits and their soaking water; simmer 10 minutes more.
- Season with vinegar, sugar, salt and white pepper. Taste; balance sweet and sour.
- Add the optional eel slices in the last 5 minutes off the heat.
- Serve hot with parsley and crusty rye bread.
Tip from the editors. Taste before adjusting; the sweet-sour balance is the dish.
Where to eat hamburger aalsuppe
Hamburger Aalsuppe in Hamburg
Old Commercial Room ★ 4.4
Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.
OrderThe Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.
TipOpen daily; lunch tables more available than dinner. Cash welcome but cards accepted.
Fischereihafen Restaurant ★ 4.3
Fischereihafen Restaurant on Grosse Elbstrasse in Hamburg-Altona has cooked classical Hanseatic seafood since 1981, with daily catch from the harbour below.
OrderThe Hamburger Aalsuppe; the Pannfisch with mustard sauce.
TipWindow-row tables face the Elbe; ask at booking. Open daily 11:30-22:00.
Deichgraf ★ 4.2
Deichgraf on the historic Deichstrasse in Hamburg cooks classical Hanseatic dishes on the city's oldest canal-side street, with a single beam.
Why locals goOn the Deichstrasse canal-side row rebuilt after the 1842 fire, that most tourists walk past.
TipWindow tables face the Nikolaifleet canal. Ask for the Labskaus with the original Rollmops topping.
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