Ingredients:

The original recipe from 1944, translated as follows
1 litre water
1 Onion
4-5 tulip bulbs
Aroma
1 teaspoon oil
Surrogate curry powder

Method:
"Chop the onion and fry with the oil and surrogate curry powder to a light brown. Add water and aroma. Bring the soup to the boil. Grate the cleaned tulip bulbs above the boiling liquid. Cook a little longer while stirring and finish with some salt."

NB. Surrogate curry powder is no longer available
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TRY TO MAKE THIS SOUP THAT YOU USE ORGANIC TULIP BULBS, FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. MOST BULBS ARE NOT GOOD FOR US TO EAT.

Hunger Winter of 1944/45 (submitted by Johanna)

This recipe is from the "Hunger Winter of 1944'/'45". Bulbs of tulips were used as a surrogate for potatoes as they are rich in carbohydrates, and vegetables were hard to obtain.

People were so hungry due to the war in Europe they ate some unusual things. Johanna was born in The Netherlands over 80 years ago. She was a young girl during the war, and remembers being very hungry all the time. A nearby church would feed Johanna and her friends and siblings, but the food was watery, tasteless soup.

Johanna remembers young soldiers being nice to the children. The soldiers would receive their food in milk churns, which seemed huge to the little children. The soldiers would let them scrape food from the bottom of the milk churns. The milk churns were so big that the little children would disappear inside them, with only their feet sticking out the top.

The 'scrapings' were delicious. Johanna's Dad was supposed to report to the authorities to be sent to Germany to work in factories there. He and a friend hid in a closet in their home, but soon realized that he couldn't stay there for ever. He gave himself up, and was sent to a factory in Germany. Johanna remembers clinging to his legs as he was taken away. After a few months working at the factory, he escaped and was caught walking back to Holland. He was then sent to a concentration camp.

Fortunately the war ended 3 months later. Johanna remembers sleeping at her Aunts house with all of her siblings and cousins every night, as her Aunt lived on the ground floor which was deemed safer if a bomb hit the house rather than her 3rd floor apartment.

Johanna never actually tried Tulip Bulb soup, but she ate Tulip bulb cake which she said tasted "horrible". Johanna does not recommend cooking this recipe, but we love to share the story of her life and such an unusual recipe. Johanna came to Canada and made a wonderful life for herself and her family. She is an inspiring, kind and wonderful woman.