blåbärssoppa — Sweden

Blåbärssoppa, literally "blueberry soup," is a thin, sweetened fruit soup made from bilberries, the small dark berries native to Scandinavian forests, thickened just enough with potato starch to give it body without turning it into a jam. It belongs to Sweden's repertoire of fruit soups, part of a wider Nordic family that includes Finland's mustikkakeitto and Iceland's bláberjasúpa. It is also sold commercially and exported, including to the United States under the name Blåbär. Bilberries are simmered in water with sugar until they release their juice and color, then thickened with potato starch dissolved in a little cold water and stirred in at the end of cooking. The soup can be strained for a smoother texture or left with the berries whole, and served either warm, ladled over porridge, or chilled and sipped as a drink. The Swedish version keeps the sweetness moderate and the texture pourable rather than spoonable, distinguishing it from a fruit compote or jam. It uses bilberries rather than the larger, milder North American blueberry, which gives the soup a deeper color and a sharper, more forest-like flavor.