At Swedish dinner tables, hearty meals are sometimes followed by a thin sweetened soup made from boiled rosehips.

Nyponsoppa is sometimes served as a dessert or a light first course, and it’s often accompanied by almond macaroons called mandelbiskvier and a dollop of whipped cream.

The Swedish prize nyponsoppa for its light floral flavor and the Vitamin C, B Complex Vitamins, Vitamin D and other essential nutrients it provides during the long cold Swedish winters.

After the first frost signals that the rosehip berries are ripe for picking, Swedes handpick them and let them dry so they can be stored for the winter season and made into nyponsoppa, tea, syrup, jam and other foods.

It’s so popular that you can even buy powdered packets of instant nyponsoppa on Amazon that could be made in minutes with boiling water, although Swedish cooks say the powdered stuff isn’t nearly as delicious as making it from scratch.

Making it is simple, but a little time consuming. Here’s a recipe, courtesy of Swedishfood.com:

Nyponsoppa (Swedish rosehip soup)

4 cups fresh rosehips (dried are OK too)

8 cups water

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp. corn starch

Slice the fresh rosehips in half and scoop out the seeds. If using dried rosehips, skip this step but be sure to strain the seeds and pulp after putting the soup in the food processor.

Simmer in water for 30 minutes, then bring to a full boil for 15 minutes until it starts to thicken. Puree in a food processor or blender, return soup to pan and add the sugar. In a cup, use a little soup to dissolve the corn starch into a paste, then stir the paste into the soup. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes until it thickens. Serve hot, room temperature or cold. Tastes great with fresh orange zest grated on top, or with whipped cream and almond macaroons.