Hochzeitssuppe — Germany

Hochzeitssuppe, literally wedding soup, is a chicken-broth soup built up with small meatballs, asparagus tips, noodles, and cubes of savory egg custard known as Eierstich. Raisins are sometimes added as well. It is eaten across northern and southern Germany, where it is commonly served as the starter at wedding receptions, following the ceremony, for the bride, groom, and guests. It is also cooked outside of weddings, in other regions of the country, as the once-common Brautsuppe, or bride's soup, offered to all guests at any wedding. Numerous regional cookbooks carry their own versions, and ready-made instant versions are sold in shops under the same name. A clear chicken broth is simmered with aromatics, then small meatballs made from ground meat are poached directly in it. Asparagus tips and noodles are added toward the end of cooking so they do not overcook, and cubes of a firm egg-and-cream custard, baked separately and cut once cooled, are stirred in just before serving to add a soft, savory garnish to the broth. A regional variant, Westphalian wedding soup, is built on a beef broth instead of chicken, and forms the first course of a wedding menu followed by the cooked meat from the broth itself, served with remoulade, silverskin onions, and pickled gherkins as a second course; the choice of broth, garnish, and accompanying course varies from one region to the next.