Hamburg's eel soup is a sweet-and-sour Hanseatic broth, despite the name often historically a soup of dried fruit, vegetables, meat and bones, with eel as an optional traditional addition.

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.

Where to eat Hamburger Aalsuppe in Hamburg

3 editor picks for Hamburger Aalsuppe in Hamburg, ranked by editorial score. All Hamburg signature dishes · Hamburger Aalsuppe across every city.

  • Old Commercial Room

    Order The Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.

    Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Fischereihafen Restaurant

    Order The Hamburger Aalsuppe; the Pannfisch with mustard sauce.

    Fischereihafen Restaurant on Grosse Elbstrasse in Hamburg-Altona has cooked classical Hanseatic seafood since 1981, with daily catch from the harbour below.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Deichgraf

    Order The Labskaus with Rollmops; the Aalsuppe with raisins.

    Deichgraf on the historic Deichstrasse in Hamburg's Neustadt cooks traditional Hanseatic dishes on the city's oldest canal-side street, rebuilt.

    DetailsBookDirections

Book food experiences in Hamburg

See all 931 food experiences in Hamburg

Make it at home

Serves 62 hr 30 minIntermediate

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

  1. Simmer the bones in water 90 minutes; skim foam. Strain and reserve 1.5 litres broth.
  2. Soak the dried fruits in 200ml warm water 20 minutes.
  3. Make a light roux: melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 2 minutes; whisk in the strained broth.
  4. Add carrot, leek and celeriac; simmer 15 minutes.
  5. Add drained fruits and their soaking water; simmer 10 minutes more.
  6. Season with vinegar, sugar, salt and white pepper. Taste; balance sweet and sour.
  7. Add the optional eel slices in the last 5 minutes off the heat.
  8. Serve hot with parsley and crusty rye bread.

Editor tip. Taste before adjusting; the sweet-sour balance is the dish.

Common allergens: Fish, Sulphites (in vinegar).