Last month my husband and I flew to Germany to visit his parents, who in turn were visiting friends in Thalkirchdorf (a small village in southern Bavaria – the Allgäu). It was just a few days before Lent and towns in certain areas of Germany have large ceremonial events called Fasching (think Carnival or Mardi Gras). 
We took a short train ride from Thalkirchdorf to Lindau, an area of Germany abundant in traditions and folklore from Roman times, the Middle Ages, and beyond. Historically superstitious, this region of Bavaria is rich with tales of ghosts, goblins, and witches – something immediately apparent in the droves of marchers adorned in ghoulish masks. 
Also prominently displayed were the strong agricultural roots of the region. The hand-carved wooden masks reflected the crops (apples, pears, and hops), as well as livestock and wild animals in the area. 
Seriously guys, this is the stuff of nightmares. I’m still amazed that every baby and toddler along the parade route wasn’t screaming in absolute terror! Let me tell you, they don’t just march in rows down cobblestone streets, they run up to you, get in your face, and play pranks on spectators. Personally, I had masked persons come up and smash confetti into my hair and tie my shoelaces together. 
I got off easy. There were some people who were pulled from their comfortable bystander position and thrown to the ground along the parade route to have witches and goblins stuff sawdust down their shirts, pants, and into their mouths! 
There was even a cannon filled with confetti! The cannon operator, either out of incredible skill or sheer luck, fired a ball of confetti into an open apartment window along the route. They even lifted one of the witches, a Hexe, into the air atop a scaffold of brooms! I have been to my fair share of parades, including The Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and this was by far and away, the best parade I’ve ever been to! Shoving sawdust down onlookers garments and shooting confetti cannonballs through peoples windows – a parade like this would never happen in States… it was spectacular! 
The following day, confetti finally out of my hair, my husband and I went snowshoeing in Thalkirchdorf with his parents and a family friend. We trudged up the mountain and into the quiet and still pine forests of Bavaria. According to our family friend/historian of the area, these woods were and are believed to be home to “Berggeist” or mountain ghosts. Walking through the snowy trails in these old and silent forests, one could certainly understand how some of the superstitions came to be. 
Several hours up the mountain, we came to a Hütte (hut or cabin). During the summer, this area is filled with cows, goats, ducks, and chickens. It also serves as a restaurant of sorts to hikers. In wintertime, the animals are brought down to the valley, and the hut is quiet. As luck would have it, the custodian was there tending to chores and preparing for the spring season. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the air was crisp – we sat out on the deck and drank some beer and Radler before heading back down the mountain. 
Once we got back into town, we stopped for something to eat. Afternoon in Bavaria generally calls for coffee and slice a cake, but I wanted something warm. My mother-in-law suggested Flädlesuppe, a German crepe soup. To be honest, I thought it sounded a little strange, but I’m all for trying local fare, and so I ordered a bowl. 
What came out was a bowl of delicious stock with noodle-like crepes and a generous helping of chives. It was warm and comforting,… it was like German chicken noodle soup for the soul. One thing was abundantly clear… it’s all about the stock. It was rich, satisfying, and it totally made the dish. I knew that if I were going to do this soup justice, I would have to use homemade chicken stock. 
The recipe for the crepes is only slightly adapted from GermanFoodAbout.com. It calls for the use of potato starch, which gelatinizes at a lower temperature. For the sake of comparison, I made a batch of crepes with potato starch and another with cornstarch. The differences were relatively negligible. Side-by-side the crepes made with potato starch had a silkier feel in the mouth and a slightly lighter and glossier texture. Unless you’re highly sensitive, I don’t think it will make much of a difference. If you can easily find potato starch, I would recommend using that; however, I wouldn’t make any special trips. As I said before, it’s the stock that is the show-stopper in this dish. 
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup potato starch or cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 1 cup club sparkling water or club soda
- 1 piece of bacon
- 2 quarts homemade chicken stock or good quality chicken stock
- 1 bunch chives, chopped
- Sift the flour, starch, and salt into a medium-size bowl. Beat the egg with the sparkling water and then add the mixture to the bowl of dry goods. Whisk until smooth.
- Heat a crepe pan or saute pan over medium heat. Rub the inside with a slice of bacon.
- Pour ⅓ cup of batter into the hot pan and tilt the pan to evenly cover. Flip the crepe once bubbles form on the top and edges begin to pull away slightly - about 30 seconds on the first side, 10 seconds on the second.
- Rub the pan with bacon in between each completed crepe. Roll up each crepe as they are finished. Once cooled, slice into ¼ rounds.
- Heat the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper (if needed) to taste. Ladle the stock into bowls and add the rolled crepes. Garnish liberally with chives and serve immediately. Enjoy!
this soup is new to me. i really, really enjoy simple eating like this so i can’t wait to dig in. thank you, kathleen 🙂
You’re so welcome! I had never heard of fladlesuppe prior to our trip to Germany – boy oh boy, was I missing out! Total comfort food.
Never seen such a soup before but Iove the idea, sounds so comforting. My kids would definitely not want to be at such a parade but I really think they would like this soup 🙂
I had never heard of this soup either, until our trip to Germany. It was so perfect after a long day of snowshoeing – it totally hit the spot.
Believe me, I would have been terrified as a child if I were at that parade! Talk about the stuff made of nightmares! But the kids that were there seemed to handle it ok. All the marchers in the parade had candy in their pockets so if a kid started screaming they’d come over and give them a treat – that usually seemed to work 😛
Oh yes, candy will do the trick! Have a great weekend 🙂
You too!
It looks like you had a fun & wonderful time in Bavaria! 🙂 Thanks for sharing this delicious soup recipe. I ‘ve never had a soup quite like that. sounds like something i have to try! I went to college in Germany (in Mannheim) and I remember my first time at the parade.
Wish I can go back to Germany and visit again. Beautiful pictures from the mountains! 🙂
That’s awesome! My husband grew up and went to high school in Heidelberg 🙂 Aren’t fasching parades the best!? If you haven’t tried Flädlesuppe before, give it a try – it was one of my favorite dishes while we were there.
Hope you get a chance to visit Germany again 🙂
Stunning photos and yummy soup! Looks like you two had a wonderful time!
We had so much fun! Thanks, Marissa 🙂
Your trip looks like it was a blast. I want to visit Germany in the near future. The traditions are quite interesting. Why do the masked men have hops in their hair? Haha. I’ve never heard of fladlesuppe, but it looks delicious.
Oh Erin, I hope you get a chance to go to Germany! We always have such a blast!
The region we were in is a very agricultural area, so many of the masks reflect those livestock animals and/or crops (hops being one of them). Gotta celebrate what makes great German beer! 😉
A cannon filled with confetti? That’s hilarious and I won’t want it land on my hair! These wooden carved masks look really interesting, reminds me some Japanese manga somehow. Love your travel photos and you guys look cute on the pictures 😉
I was intrigued by this soup when I saw it on Facebook! It’s very interesting to add crepe into the soup, but it sounds absolutely delicious! Your homemade chicken broth looks so delicious!
Thanks, Maggie! We had so much fun. I hadn’t thought of manga, but there were some masks that reminded me of Japanese theater.
When my mother-in-law suggested flädlesuppe and described it as crepe or pancake soup, I had some serious reservations – but I totally trust her tastes. When it came out, it was not at all what I expected and it was insanely delicious! I’m so glad she suggested it!
Beautiful photos! Never have I tried a soup quite like this before.. but the addition of crepes in it sounds very delicious. I must make this recipe.
Thanks, Thalia! This most recent trip to Germany was the fist time I tried this soup, and it was so delicious I wanted to lick the bowl 😉
I remember this crepe soup from when I was in Austria!!! I never in a million years thought to make it at home. Love that you are the only blog I know that shares recipes I can’t pronounce but know I will love – as always, I love love LOVE this! That parade! OMG, I totally agree, how do the children not get scarred by those scary masks??
But seriously it looks like it tops mardi gras anyway. I can’t believe those masks are WOOD and HAND CARVED!!
What an amazing holiday!! I am soooo jealous!! (Though I am heading to Mexico for a big trip towards the end of the year….might have to pop over to the East Coast to say HI!!) 🙂
Lol! You always crack me up, Nagi. To be fair though, if my husband didn’t speak German, I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to pronounce the name of this soup either. But just so you know, it’s pronounced F-läd-le-sup-pen 😉
Aren’t those masks just exquisite!? The detail and craftsmanship is truly impressive!
Mexico will be awesome and you’re going to have some kickass food, I’m sure! Definitely let me know if your going to be on the east coast 🙂
Never seen anything like this before, Kathleen! Sounds so wonderful, though!
Oh, and what scary photos!!!
I was so surprised by this soup! It was rich, surprising light, and totally comforting.
Those masks are crazy, right!? I would have been terrified if I were a kid along that parade route!
Never had crepe soup, but this one looks delicious! So glad you shared pictures of the parade! Germany is so clean and organized, with a rich history and I would love to visit again! Everything looks awesome!!!
I never had it before this trip either, and it was so delicious I literally scooped up every last drop! My husbands parents are moving back to the States this summer – after nearly 30 years in Germany! They have absolutely loved living there, and I can totally see why.
I could eat chicken soup everyday so fladlesuppen is my kind of soup and I can’t wait to make your recipe. Fasching looks like a fun event.
Thanks, Janette! Fasching was awesome! This soup is surprising light – so I suppose you literally could eat it every day 😉