Rutabaga Soup with Bacon / Koolraapsoep met spekblokjes van Luuk

Apparently, generations of Germans are (or were) suffering from a rutabaga-trauma, as for many years during and after World War II, there was nothing else to eat but a very basic form of rutabaga stew (rutabaga cooked with nothing but water). Even if you smell a more refined soup like this one, you instantly understand why - the smell isn't very pleasing.

It tastes a lot better, though, slightly reminiscent of cabbage, though it's very hard to pinpoint the specific flavour of the rutabaga amidst the other ingredients - I guess rutabaga just doesn't have a very strong flavour in itself. The dish as such is very nice, very simple and down to earth, a typical winter soup, and at 1 euro per kilo, it's a bargain as well.