Bowl of golden yellow Swedish pea soup with chunks of smoked pork, served on a rustic wooden table with mustard alongside

Age of Liberty Sweden · Sweden

Ärtsoppa (Yellow Pea Soup)

Name: Ärtsoppa (Yellow Pea Soup)
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Sweden
Ingredients: 400g yellow split peas, soaked overnight; 500g smoked pork hock or ham on the bone; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 tsp dried marjoram; 1 tsp mustard powder; 1.5L water; Salt and white pepper; Mustard to serve

From Hjelpreda i Hushållningen för Unga Fruentimber · Kajsa Warg · 1755

Verified from original source

Sweden's Thursday-night soup for 300 years — yellow split peas, pork and marjoram.

Historical note: Traditionally served on Thursdays across Sweden — a habit that started in convents and never left.

History

Ärtsoppa, Swedish yellow pea soup, has been a staple since medieval times, becoming particularly associated with Thursday meals in Sweden by the 18th century. Kajsa Warg's 1755 cookbook codified the recipe during its golden age. Traditionally made with dried yellow peas, pork, and mustard, it was eaten across all social classes—affordable for peasants yet refined enough for nobility. The Thursday tradition linked to Catholic fasting practices (meatless Fridays) persisted even after the Reformation. Swedish military adopted it as standard fare. Today, ärtsoppa remains a Thursday tradition in Swedish homes, restaurants, and military mess halls, typically served with pancakes and punsch.

Sources

Kajsa Warg, Hjelpreda i Hushållningen för Unga Fruentimber, 1755
Anna Maria Rückerschöld, Hjelpreda i Hushållningen, 1748
C. Hagdahl, Kok-konsten som vetenskap och konst, 1879-1896
Henry Notaker, A History of Cookbooks: From Kitchen to Page over Seven Centuries, 2017
Ken Albala, Beans: A History, 2007

Serves

Prep

15m

Cook

120m

Difficulty

Easy