(Swedish, blueberry or more accurately bilberry soup, , ) is a Nordic fruit soup made from bilberries, which can be served cold or hot. It is sweet and contains

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

, which gives it a fairly thick consistency. It is served either as soup, often together with porridge, or as a drink. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Swedish ''blåbärssoppa'' is imported and sold under the trade name ''Blåbär''. Blueberry soup can be home-made from bilberries, sugar, water and

potato starch Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. Th ...

, or it can be bought ready-made or in powdered form, to mix with water. The Swedish word for bilberry, ''blåbär'', literally means 'blueberry', but the beverage is not made from the North American

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

(section ''Cyanococcus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''), but from the related but distinct

bilberry Bilberries () are Eurasian low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae that bear edible, dark blue berries. They resemble but are distinct from North American blueberries. The species most often referre ...

, '' Vaccinium myrtillus'', which grows in the wild throughout

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and other parts of Europe.

Uses

Blueberry soup is traditionally served to the participants at the ski marathon

Vasaloppet (Swedish language, Swedish for 'the Vasa race') is an annual long distance cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of :sv:Berga, Malung-Sälens kommun, Berga, jus ...

, as it is rich in energy. Bilberries have traditionally been used to combat mild gastrointestinal ailments,Bilberry
information from RxList Inc. and in Sweden and Finland, blueberry soup is often considered suitable food for people with an upset stomach, also because it is energy-rich.

References

{{Soups Finnish cuisine Swedish soups Icelandic cuisine Non-alcoholic drinks Fruit soups Cross-country skiing in Sweden Blueberries

Uses

See also

References