Frankfurt’s Green Sauce Recipe
What exactly is Frankfurter Grüne Soße?
In Germany green sauce is known as Frankfurter Grüne Soße. It is a traditional dish in Frankfurt and Hessen. The cold herb sauce consists of sour cream, boiled eggs, spices, and of course, herbs.
In Frankfurt dialect, this recipe for sour cream and herbs is called grie soβ.
Rumors and heated discussions about the origins of the Frankfurter Grüne Soße, as well as what is considered the authentic recipe, circulate about this famous German food.
The most important ingredients of the Frankfurter Grie Soß, as the green sauce is called in the local dialect, are seven particular herbs. The percentage of each herb should not be more than 30%, and 70% of the herbs should have been grown in Frankfurt.
The seven herbs in German Green Sauce are:
- Borretsch – Borage – Borago officinalis
- Kerbel – Chervil – Anthriscus cerefolium
- Kresse – Garden Cress – Lepidium sativum
- Petersilie – Parsley – Petroselinum crispum
- Pimpinelle – Salad Burnet – Sanguisorba minor
- Sauerampfer – Sorrel – Rumex acetosa
- Schnittlauch – Chives – Allium schoenoprasum
The most famous myth is that green sauce was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s favorite dish, invented by his mother. Locals love to connect their favorite fare with the renowned author, who was born in Frankfurt. However, there is no evidence that this rumor is true. Actually, the first recipe of Frankfurter Grüne Soße was published in a cookbook by Wilhelmine Rührig in 1860, almost 30 years after Goethe’s death.
Ingredients for 2 servings as a main dish
- 250g herbs
- 250g sour cream with 20-25% fat
- 150g yogurt
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper
Directions:
- Wash the herbs and dry them on paper towel, remove the thick stems
- Peel the eggs and put the yolk into a mixing bowl, ad lemon juice, 2/3 of the herbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the yogurt
- Puree using a hand blender
- Stir the sour cream into the mixture
- Add the coarsely chopped egg white
- At the end, add the remaining finely chopped herbs and season with pepper, salt and lemon juice.
Let the green sauce rest in the fridge for at least one hour. Serve with boiled potatoes and boiled eggs cut in halves, this is the most traditional way.
I love it to mash the warm potatoes with a fork and mix them with the green sauce. We say “mantschen” which can be translated with mess around :).
Variations
You can use mayonnaise or curd cheese instead of the sour cream, or a mix of them.
When served as a side dish with fish or meat this recipe is enough for 4 servings.
Recipe courtesy Germany Insider Facts
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