“It’s so good, I come every day and I’m going to take a liter for the house!” » Like Hélène, many of them during this Advent season know the right trick to come and taste a soup concocted by an Alsatian chef. And this for the modest sum of 4 euros (3 euros if you already have your cup deposited at 1 euro), all in the middle of the Christmas market in Strasbourg.
Pierre and Rachel, who came from Toulouse to visit the region’s markets, are “licking their lips”. And there is something to be said for it. On the menu during all these holidays, yellow carrot velouté with red curry and coconut milk, split pea velouté with cocoa butter, pumpkin velouté with parmesan, or even undergrowth velouté with Riesling and spiced croutons… Gastronomic proposals made possible by the mobilization of several Alsatian star chefs, who gave these onion recipes to volunteers who make these soups themselves under the watchful eye of professionals. But above all, the profits are entirely donated to solidarity projects.
Two chalets at the Strasbourg Christmas market
Two chalets offer these delicious beverages, hot as needed in this freezing weather. At the foot of the big fir tree on Place Kléber, in the sharing village, the Humanis collective is serving the chefs’ soup for the 11th year. A different recipe every week to renew the pleasure until December 24. The chefs of the gourmet restaurants Alexis Albrecht, At the old conventRomain Creutzmeyer of Colbert and David Degoursy of thee:jaor even Pascal Bastian from White horsespared no effort and “it’s immediately evident in the taste,” confides Nathalie, a tourist from Moselle.
Philippe came with his parents to the Humanis chalet, because there was “no question of missing this” for this Strasbourg family. “It’s unavoidable, every year I come back three to four times to try the different recipes because it’s good; and this solidarity is important,” explains the young man. Her mother takes advantage of the break to enjoy star soups very often, and like the whole family, it is as much for its quality as for the gesture. A good idea, because this year, the collective hopes to raise 150,000 euros for its numerous solidarity projects.
Soups that everyone agrees with
Marta and Katy, young retirees who came by train to spend a day and a half from Franche Comté “for the illuminations”, passed by the stand by chance. When they saw that “it was for a good cause, they stopped, seduced by the idea of a good hot soup, a way to change mulled wine and toast while helping others. »
Around the chalet in the village of sharing, there is no shortage of superlatives to describe star soup. The “Incredible”, “I have never eaten anything so good”, follow one another. Coming from Auvergne, having come to spend two days at the Christmas market, Christophe and his wife inquired about the one-liter vacuum bags of star soup, sold for 10 euros. Expiration date ? “Until December 15 for this soup recipe,” explains the Humanis volunteer with a smile, a little overwhelmed by the orders. It is “a useful consumption”, explains the couple with the desire to “bring it back” to their region to let their friends taste. “We don’t know these local chefs,” explains Christophe, “so it’s a good way to get to know each other and make a gesture. »
Discovering, sharing while having fun is also what motivated Tara, an Irish woman living in Strasbourg. Like in past years, she did not hesitate to get on her bike to take three kinds of sachet soups in order to prepare a dinner for her guests and compatriots who came to visit her for Christmas. “It’s excellent, it’s not expensive, I know they are good products and it’s a good gesture. It’s actually good for everyone! », smiles the young woman happy with her good deal. A good deal which gave ideas to Charline, in her thirties. Like other Strasbourg residents met during the lunch break, she came to inquire about purchasing several liters of soup for the office and is worried about whether she should reserve some well in advance…
Liters of soups in vacuum bags to take away or in cups that sell like hot cakes, just like at the association’s chalet Star Trails, which also works in solidarity projects to which all the money raised is redistributed. Located in the courtyard of ISEG rue du Dôme, with its Star Velouté, this is another place on the Christmas market where it is possible, at the same price, to taste sublime chef soups at an unbeatable price. There, four other recipes, from chefs Thomas Koebel of Post relay à la Wantzenau, by Yannick Germain from Beef in Sessenheim, by Mathieu Koenig from the green tree in Berrwiller, or even chefs Carole Eckert and Anne Cécile Scherre, as well as Léo Streckdenfinger from the restaurant Finally in Barr, thrill visitors.
Star soups on the Christmas market, whose single and common recipe is ultimately that of sharing and solidarity.