Soups & stews · Czechia

Kyselo (Czech Sourdough Mushroom Soup)

Name: Kyselo (Czech Sourdough Mushroom Soup)
Total time: 255 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Czechia
Ingredients: Potatoes; 100 g sourdough starter, ideally made with rye flour; 15 g dried porcini mushrooms, preferably Central European; 1 tablespoon caraway seeds; 1250 ml water; 1 onion, chopped; 20 g butter; 3 chicken eggs; Salt; Vinegar; Chopped green herbs, such as parsley or scallion

Kyselo or krkonošské kyselo is a traditional Bohemian sour soup featuring mushrooms and sourdough. It originates from the Krkonoše mountain region in northern Bohemia. Kyselo is a nutritious food, so it is often served as a main course, but in small quantities it could also be served as a soup course.

Published October 16, 2026

EST. TOTAL TIME4h 15m

DIFFICULTYEasy

SERVES5

Time and difficulty are editorial estimates; allow extra time for your equipment and experience.

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Let’s make it

Step 1

Boil potatoes with their skins, then peel them, chop onto small pieces and roast it in a pan (without adding grease).

Step 2

Put 250 ml tepid water into a bowl. Stir in the sourdough starter. Cover with a clean cloth, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Step 3

Put 1000 ml water into a stockpot. Add the dried mushrooms and caraway, and boil for at least 15 minutes to make a strong broth.

Step 4

Carefully add the sourdough mixture into the broth, stirring well—there is a danger that the sourdough will shrink into small dumplings.

Step 5

Boil the soup, stirring, until the sourdough thickens the mixture. This should take about 10 minutes.

Step 6

Sauté the chopped onion with butter in a pan. Stir it into the soup.

Step 7

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, and scramble them in an ungreased pan. Stir the cooked eggs into the soup.

Step 8

Season the soup to taste with salt and vinegar. It should be mildly sour, flavored primarily by the mushrooms and sourdough.

Step 9

Served the soup hot, garnished with the chopped herbs, with the potatoes as a side dish. Individual diners may wish to add additional vinegar and salt to taste.