Ricet – the Iconic Slovenian Barley Soup

Ricet (ričet) is a hearty, traditional barley soup with no rival in Slovenian culinary heritage. Nothing compares to a bowl of comforting barley soup that captures the warmth and flavors of this enchanting region.

Slovenia is a country known for its stunning natural beauty and equally captivating food culture. Ričet, an iconic dish with barley, was cooked on the eastern side of the Alps as early as the 8th century BC.

When we talk about comfort food, there’s something truly special about a perfectly made bowl of rustic soup. But when that soup also carries the deep flavors of a cherished culinary heritage, it becomes more than just a meal.

Because ričet certainly isn’t just a meal; it’s a tradition passed down through generations, offering a taste of history and a glimpse into Slovenian everyday life. It’s deeply rooted in the heart of Slovenian culinary tradition.

The perfect combination of vegetables, the tender bite of barley, and the scent of smoked pork come together in this simple, soul-satisfying stew.

In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps to recreate the magic of ričet in your own kitchen, so you can savor a piece of Slovenia no matter where you are.

Ričet through history – how the famous barley soup became a legacy

Ričet (spelled as richet), locally also called “ješprenj,” stands firmly through history as a Slovenian culinary treasure; a rustic, hearty one-pot stew served in a bowl is often recognized simply by its star ingredient – barley.

Although some sources claim that ričet was invented by the Romans, its roots extend even further back, to the eighth century BCE.

Archaeologists have proven that people were preparing ričet using almost the same recipe during the Iron Age. In Hallstatt, it was cooked with broad beans instead of beans, and they were apparently adding millet and wild garlic to season the ancient stew.

Ričet was first mentioned in 1485 by the Italian jurist Paolo Santonino in his report on dishes in the Zilje Valley. Later, it was described as “ruetschart” in the Bavarian cookbook Klosterkochbuch von Tegernsee in 1534.

In the seventeenth century, a Slovenian natural historian and polymath, Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693), a fellow of the Royal Society in London, mentioned it in his works, using the term characteristic of central Slovenia – “ričet.”

At the time, ričet was eaten in the villages, and it was often on the menu in the cities as well. In the old days, women used to cook ričet in large cast-iron pots and cauldrons in wood-fired brick ovens. It was served the next day, and just before serving, they would season it with vinegar and dress it with oil.

An interesting fact related to ričet was the name of a group of mountaineering enthusiasts who called themselves “ričetarji” (or richetars). As ričet can be easily preserved and reheated, they used to hang out over barley bowls on their journeys to the mountain tops. Even today, ricet is still cooked and served in most Slovenian mountain huts.

Ričet will make you fall in love

Among other traditional food recipes, often cooked by Slovenians, like jota soup, creamy porcini mushroom soup, stuffed cabbage rolls, buckwheat bread with walnuts and jam-filled cookies, ričet has a very special place.

It can be, or better to say, should be prepared in advance. The hearty bowl of barley soup will taste even better the next day. It will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator and can also be frozen or canned. This makes it an extraordinarily tasty dish with a touch of ancient history that will pop up on your table whenever you’re in a hurry. And truly, there’s nothing better than a jar of canned ričet in your backpack when hiking in the wild.

It can be your secret healthy energy booster, perfectly packed with nutrients, proteins, fibers, minerals and vitamins. Barley contains complex carbohydrates that are broken down gradually, providing a steady release of energy over time. No matter if you are headed to the mountains or preparing to chop a full truck of firewood, the sustained energy release from barley will keep you going a long way.

It also contains a fair amount of iron, which is essential for oxygen transport in the blood and crucial for maintaining energy levels and preventing fatigue. Besides that, it’s loaded with beta-glucans. Well, I guess you now imagine why ričet is often cooked in the mountains.

Lastly, ričet is indeed a special cozy delight in a bowl. The warmth and the savory goodness make it a perfect companion for chilly days. This rustic barley soup is the ultimate Slovenian comfort food.

It’s also worth mentioning that throughout history, it was often cooked without any meat. And guess what? The taste of vegan ričet is still genuine; you would be absolutely amazed at how good it can taste.

Ingredients for a traditional bowl of ričet

BARLEY – We used about 2 cups of hulled, processed barley seeds, known as barley porridge. Barley has a low glycemic index and is rich in fiber. Its slow energy release will keep you going for a long time. It is believed to lower cholesterol levels, aid digestion, and is a very good source of niacin, the protector of the heart.

It needs to be soaked for 3 hours before cooking the ričet, or the cooking time will be much longer.

BEANS – In the traditional recipe, dried brown beans were used, soaked overnight before cooking. However, if you don’t have time to soak the beans, use canned ones and add them to the pot right before the ričet is finally cooked.

SMOKED MEAT – There’s a saying in Slovenia that if a pig doesn’t step in the pot, ričet won’t be right. Although vegetarian ričet was often cooked by poor people, the traditional recipe calls for variations of smoked pork, such as pork ribs or homemade Carniolan sausages.

POTATO – Potato is cooked in a lot less time than barley and other vegetables in ričet; that’s why the diced potatoes are added to the pot last, about half an hour before the end of cooking.

KOHLRABI – Kohlrabi is a super-flexible veggie that’s a great addition to soups and was always used in the traditional ričet recipe. It’s a distant cousin of cabbage and comes in pale green or purple skin.

Once cooked, it turns tender yet still retains a nice crunch, adding a little extra flavor to your soup. Plus, it’s got a gentle, sweet taste that pairs well with the other ingredients, making your bowl of ričet even better. As a bonus, it’s packed with good-for-you stuff like vitamins and minerals.

CARROT – Long before refrigerators and freezers came to life, carrots and other root vegetables were often stored in sand. This way, people could create a cool, dark, and stable environment that extended the shelf life of their products. It allowed them to use them during the winter months, when growing conditions were unfavorable, and to access vegetables when fresh produce was scarce. Or during the winter months, when growing conditions were unfavorable.

CELERY ROOT – Celery root (or celeriac), with its slightly nutty flavor, brings a hint of freshness and depth to the ricet bowl.

PARSLEY ROOT – Similarly to celeriac, parsley root will brighten the earthy flavors in ričet. Besides that, parsley root is a fairly unknown nutritional bomb, rich in vitamin C, folate, fiber, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. The parsley root holds three to four times more essential oil than the leaves.

PARSLEY LEAVES – Fresh parsley was used in the recipe; in winter, you can use dried parsley. There’s quite a high amount of parsley in the traditional ričet. It pairs harmoniously with other ingredients. In fact, I had never tried a dish in which parsley would be so pleasantly fused with other aromas as in ričet.

MARJORAM & BAY LEAF – The marjoram adds a delicate, slightly sweet, floral undertone, while the bay leaves bring a subtle earthy, herbal note. Both will help to prevent bloating and stomach gas caused by cooked beans.

SALT & BLACK PEPPER – Ričet, with its traditional ingredients, is so full of flavor that it needs no other spices except salt and black pepper.

OIL OR LARD – In the old days, lard was often used to stir-fry onions and garlic. Instead, you can use olive or sunflower oil.

TOMATO (optional) – Tomato was probably not used in the original recipe, as tomatoes were introduced to Europe by the Spanish during their colonization of the Americas in the 15th or 16th century. It first came to Italy, where it was grown as an ornamental plant. However, some people love the taste of tomato in ricet and add it to the simmering soup together with other vegetables.

Traditional ričet recipe

SOAK THE BEANS AND BARLEY

STEP 1: The night before, gather the beans, check if all look good and healthy and wash them. Next, place them in a pot large enough and add twice as much water. The beans should be completely covered with water.

They need to soak for at least eight hours, preferably overnight.

STEP 2: The next day, before you plan to cook ricet, wash the barley and soak it in a pot covered with water for about 3 hours.

STEP 3: Wash the beans once again and cover them with fresh water. Cook them separately, together with a lavender leaf (or two), until the beans become tender to your liking. Using lavender leaves when cooking beans will help to reduce stomach bloating.

The cooking time for dried beans depends on their age and soaking time, making it hard to pinpoint exactly. The best way is to taste them towards the end of cooking, but definitely don’t cook them for more than an hour.

COOK BARLEY WITH PORK RIBS

STEP 4: When the barley is sufficiently soaked, transfer it, along with the water in which it was soaking, to a larger pot.

Add smoked pork ribs to the pot, then add water so that all ingredients are generously covered. Bring to a boil and slowly simmer for an hour.

ADD VEGETABLES

STEP 5: While the barley and ribs simmer, prepare the vegetables. Slice the carrots, parsley root, celery root and kohlrabi into small cubes. Also, dice the onions and garlic into pieces as small as possible.

After the barley with pork ribs has been simmering for about an hour, quickly stir-fry the garlic and onions in hot lard or oil. We used olive oil in the recipe, but the traditional recipe usually called for lard, which was readily available in the old days.

First, add the fried onions and garlic, then add the pieces of vegetables to the pot. Add a pinch of dried marjoram and simmer for another 20 minutes.

ADD POTATOES

STEP 6: Potatoes are added to the soup later because they cook more quickly than the other vegetables.

After the ričet had slowly simmered with the vegetables for about 20 minutes, peel, wash, and dice the potatoes into small cubes, then add them to the pot.

STEP 7: Slowly simmer on very low heat for another twenty minutes. At that time, the potatoes and the vegetables should be cooked.

ADD BEANS, PARSLEY AND SLICED RIBS

STEP 8: Towards the end of cooking, wash the parsley, shake off the excess water, and chop it.

Remove a few pork ribs (or sausages, if you are using them) from the pot and slice them into smaller pieces. Also, strain the cooked beans, then add them, along with the chopped parsley and sliced pork ribs, back to the pot.

STEP 9: Simmer for only 1 minute longer so the beans warm through. Smoked pork ribs will add enough salt to the soup, but at this point, try your delicious ričet and add more if it’s not salty enough.

In the end, add black pepper to taste. There you have it; your delicious Slovenian ricet is done!

Some people love to spice it up by adding a tablespoon of apple vinegar to the pot right at the end of cooking. You might want to give this a try; it pairs well with other ingredients and tastes delicious.

Although you can serve it right away when it’s cooked, in the old days, ričet was often warmed and served with freshly baked homemade bread the next day.

That’s exactly why it was always cooked in large pots; the delicious mix of aromas in the iconic soup will get even better with each day of storage.

Tips for cooking the tastiest ricet

• For superior taste, try using organic ingredients and homemade smoked meat. Ričet is a traditional soup that combines most of the usual crops preserved for winter in the old days in one pot; that’s why you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it at any time of year.
• Don’t spare parsley; the amount of parsley, together with parsley root, is quite high in a traditional ričet. Parsley won’t override the aromas of other ingredients; it will even enhance them. Especially parsley root will add a slightly sweet, mildly peppery note, which nicely complements other ingredients and adds a pleasant balance to the soup.
• Prefer using dry beans over canned ones. Soaking the beans before cooking will help greatly reduce the cooking time. During soaking, oligosaccharides, which are responsible for bloating and creating gas after consuming bean dishes, will usually dissolve in the water. That’s why the water in which the beans were soaked needs to be discarded and the beans rinsed under fresh water before cooking.
• Soaking the barley not only reduces cooking time but also ensures a smoother texture in the end. Moreover, soaking helps remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid in barley. These acids can mess with how our bodies absorb essential minerals. And as a bonus, soaking also helps break down the complex sugars in barley.
• Adding bay leaves and marjoram when cooking beans will help reduce bloating, gases and, yes, farting too.
• Keep in mind that when you cook a perfect ričet, it shouldn’t be cooked at a high temperature; it should simmer slowly on low heat.
• Ričet tastes absolutely the best when it’s refrigerated, heated, and served the next day. It was usually served as a complete meal with fresh homemade buckwheat bread.
• For an even better and more genuine taste of ricet, add a tablespoon of homemade apple vinegar right before serving. Some people even add it to the bowl separately after it’s already served.
• For a great, cozy traditional luch all you need to do is pair it with a good slice of plum strudel or pear strudel. Or simply serve it with a cup of black coffee and a bowl of tasty homemade buckwheat cookies.

Storage and canning

Ričet can be cooked in advance and stored in the fridge for up to four days.

It’s best if you store it in a covered pot or container. When heating it up again, take only the amount you’re going to eat and heat it in a smaller pot.

It can also be canned following the usual canning procedure. Fill up hot, sterilized jars with hot ričet up to the top and carefully seal them with sterilized lids. Place the jars, turned upside down, under a blanket and allow them to cool slowly.

Canned ričet will be an extraordinarily delicious choice for lunch on your trips, mountain hikes, or on ordinary days when you don’t have time to cook.

Freezing ričet

Before freezing, allow it to cool down to room temperature. It’s best to divide the soup into individual or family-sized portions. This way, you can thaw only the amount that you need.

Place it into air-tight containers to prevent freezer odors from seeping in. Good reusable containers you don’t need to buy are ice cream packages or even plastic bags, as long as you squeeze out the remaining air. Leave some space at the top of the container or bag to allow for expansion as the soup freezes. This prevents containers from cracking.

Label the containers or bags with the name and date the ričet was prepared to ensure it is eaten at the right time. When thawing, refrigerate overnight or place in a bowl of cold water to speed up the process.

Ričet can be stored in the freezer for up to six months.

Traditional ričet FAQs

More traditional Slavic recipes

• Slovenian jota soup with sauerkraut
• Slovenian porcini mushroom soup
• Stuffed cabbage rolls with buckwheat
• Slow-cooked beef goulash
• Kljukusa
• Sataras
• Polenta bread
• Cabbage pie

Have you tried the traditional ričet bowl? Please rate it in the comments below.

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