Kulturgut Grie Soß

The “Grie Soß” (as it’s called in the Hessian dialect) has been cultivated for generations in the Frankfurt district of Oberrad. The artist Olga Schulz paid tribute to the Green Sauce in 2007 by dedicating a unique monument to it. Since then, seven greenhouses stand on the fields at the edge of Oberrad, symbolizing the essential seven herbs: chives, borage, salad burnet, chervil, sorrel, parsley, and cress. The polycarbonate walls of the structures are dyed the colour of the respective herb, and at twilight, the greenhouses glow like emeralds—a beautiful homage to Frankfurt’s traditional dish and Oberrad’s inner-city cultivation of vegetables and herbs.

Since 2016, the Frankfurt Grüne Soße has proudly held the European seal of quality: “Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).” This success is thanks to the “Association for the Protection of Frankfurt Grüne Soße,” which unites 16 gardening businesses. The association applied for protection of the designation of origin from the EU in 2011.

“Frankfurt Grüne Soße – Seven Herbs Must It Be”

Frankfurt’s Environmental Office recognizes the Grüne Soße as a cultural asset with a richly illustrated brochure. It includes recipes, extensive information about the seven herbs, the art of gardening in Oberrad, and the Green Sauce Monument. The brochure is available free of charge from the Environmental Office of the City of Frankfurt am Main.

Not only is Grüne Soße often promoted in Frankfurt as Goethe’s favorite dish, but the preferred preparation method of Goethe’s mother is sometimes even printed on the herb packets. However, this might be more of a PR legend than a historical fact. Journalist Barbara Goerlich writes:

“It’s all legend. Legend that Grüne Soße was Goethe’s favorite dish. Also legend that it was a recipe belonging to Frau Aja, Goethe’s mother. It is often claimed that all variations of the Frankfurt national dish originated in Frau Aja’s cookbook. That, too, is legend, because she didn’t have a cookbook; she used and quoted her grandmother’s Lindheimer cookbook in her letters.

So, there was no connection between Goethe and the Green Sauce. He most likely never knew it, let alone ate it, nor chose it as his favorite. Goethe, who enjoyed warm cabbage salad with bacon, head cheese, Teltow turnips, venison, and artichokes, wrote often and extensively about food. Wouldn’t he have mentioned the Green Sauce as well?

Doris Hopp finds this only logical. The head of the library at the Freies Deutsches Hochstift-Goethe Museum Frankfurt has studied Goethe for over three decades, a good portion of that focused on his eating habits. The same questions pile up every spring as soon as the season for fresh green sauce herbs begins and the appetizing herb packets, wrapped in white paper, are offered for sale at Frankfurt market stalls. Printed on every packet is the recipe for ‘Authentic Frankfurt Grüne Soße – Goethe’s Favorite Dish.’

‘Completely invented,’ believe Goethe experts Walter Michel and Herbert Heckmann. They suspect that Grüne Soße only became known in Frankfurt after 1850—long after Goethe, and even longer after his mother. Nevertheless, the dispute over the ‘Grie Soß’ has captivated the poet laureate’s birthplace for years.

The spoilsports at the Goethe Museum find little audience in Goethe’s city. Thus, Doris Hopp can only offer consolation to all those who would love to feast according to Goethe’s taste: Had he known the Grie Soß’, he surely would have loved it. After all, Goethe was famously fond of fresh vegetables in many forms…” (Barbara Görlich)

If you’ve built up an appetite for Grüne Soße and don’t want to wait until the festival, you can easily prepare the Grie Soß yourself! Potatoes and hard-boiled eggs are the perfect accompaniment to all these recipes.

Our secret tip for chopping herbs: If slightly dry, use a mincing knife or a meat grinder. If using a blender, ensure the herbs are well-dried and use a very sharp blade!

Popular Festival Recipe (The Quick Classic)

1 packet of Frankfurt Grüne Soße herbs, 4 tbsp quark (40% fat), 3 tbsp Schmand (sour cream/crème fraîche blend), 2 tbsp crème fraîche, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 pinch of pepper, ½ lemon, 1 tsp mustard.

Finely chop the herbs, mix everything, stir, season to taste, and it’s ready!

Fresh and International with Avocado

1 packet of Frankfurt Grüne Soße (or 25g each of borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, chives), ¼ litre sour cream (10%), ¼ litre heavy cream, ½ ripe avocado, 3-4 tbsp cold-pressed oil with no strong flavour (e.g., rapeseed), sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp lemon or lime (slightly milder flavour).

Mix the sour cream with the heavy cream and lemon/lime juice. Lightly season with sea salt and black pepper. Purée half of the parsley with the avocado and a few spoonfuls of the cream. Mix the rest with the prepared cream. Wash the herbs, remove the coarse stems, and chop them when lightly dried. Stir in the herbs and season with sea salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp of oil.

Refined Variation: Halve the eggs and mix the firm yolks with 2–3 tablespoons of oil and one teaspoon of lemon or lime juice. Cut the egg white halves into strips, place them in warm vegetable broth, and decorate the Grüne Soße with them after draining. For a very flavourful alternative, you can also purée half the chives with half an avocado and the cream instead of using parsley.

Now It Gets Wild… Grüne Soße According to Frau Aja (Goethe’s Mother)

1 tbsp butter, 1-2 tbsp flour, ¼ litre hot milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, juice of ½ lemon.

6 tbsp chopped herbs; there should be 7 different varieties (depending on the season: parsley, chives, dill, basil, lemon balm, lovage, tarragon, chervil, sage, cress).

Melt the butter in a saucepan, dust in the flour, and sweat until golden yellow. Gradually add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the herbs and season the sauce with spices and lemon juice.

From The 718 to The 069

A kid from Brooklyn in the heart of the Main, 
I’m tellin’ ya, this Grie Soß hits just the same 
As finding a good slice, or a decent pastrami. 
It’s lunch time now, wise guy. This is pure comfort, see?

Seven herbs—they’re the heroes, straight from this dirt. 
Like a perfect handball court, they never get hurt.
Borage, chives—they start the harmony, 
Pimpinelle walks in, looking classy, see? 
Gotta get the cress in, don’t forget the bite, 
That sorrel is tart, it does the thing just right.
Chervil, parsley—that’s your whole setup, kid. 
A feast for the whole famiglia, what’s hid?

For three, maybe four hungry faces at the table,
Three hundred grams, we gotta keep it stable. 
This green stuff? It’s cheap, a real bargain, no kidding. 
Next: two eggs, hard-boiled, just like Ma was bidding. 
A spoonful of oil, a splash of vinegar—Essig is rough— 
(I swear, learning this language is already enough.) 
Two onions, gotta be peeled, gotta be small,
They’re the background noise, the base of it all.

A little yogurt, some sour cream, that’s what’s required, Sweet cream? Fuggedaboutit! Don’t get fired! Now finish it off with pepper and some sugar, you hear? Give it the final check, make sure the salt is clear. That’s the move. Don’t add nothing more, That simple taste is what we all adore.

Chop those onions and herbs, keep the dice fine, Dump it in the big bowl, let the flavors align. Hit it with the seasoning, give it the stir. Then you gotta wait—don’t rush it, my dear sir! Let that whole green slurry, with its juice and the spice, Sit for an hour or two, no excuses.

The eggs, you gotta mince ’em up real neat, Add ’em later on—that’s the classic cheat. Check the taste again—more sugar, salt? It’s your call. Once you lock it down? Relax. You survived the brawl.

My appetite is HUGE, like catching the Dodgers in ’55. Time for the Gequellde (potatoes)—best way to feel alive!

Evan Scott Schweitzer