When the cold weather is in abundance, what better way to sit down and warm up than with a nice, warm bowl of soup? Where did soup come from, and how was it created? Let’s find out as we dive into the history of National Soup Month, celebrated annually in January!
Historical evidence of the existence of soup dates all the way back to about 20,000 B.C. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of a waterproofed container, which started out as clay vessels. Animal Hides and watertight baskets were used along with heated rocks. The word soup itself derives from the French word soupe which means soup or broth. The word restaurant was first used in France, around the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion.
In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for the eating establishments. In the US, the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, and it included several recipes for soups and bisques.
A 1772 cookbook titled The Frugal Housewife, had an entire chapter around the entire subject of soups. In 1897, Doctor John T. Dorrance, a chemist with the Campbell’s Soup Company invented condensed soup, which has grown exponentially in popularity in the modern era. Condensing soup allows soup to be packaged into a smaller can and sold at a lower price than other canned soups. The soup is usually doubled in volume by adding a “can full” of water or milk (about 10 ounces).
Since the 1990s, the canned soup market has burgeoned with soups marketed as “ready-to-eat,” which require no additional liquid to prepare. Microwaveable bowls have expanded the ready-to-eat canned soup market even more, offering convenience (especially in workplaces) and are popular lunch items.
In 2017, Campbell’s Soup did a survey all about soup, and found a few interesting facts you might not have considered about the meal. For example, did you know that 64 percent of millennials love soup? OK, maybe you could have guessed that. But what about this: did you know that 48 percent of polled millennials have served canned soup at a dinner party and pretended that it was homemade? And of that poll, 36 percent of the deceiving dinner hosts were men? Just some fun facts for your National Soup Month party. Here are some other suggestions for celebrating this wonderful month (other than just eating some soup, that is):
Make Your Favorite Soup From Scratch. Are you obsessed with matzo ball soup but only ever get it from a restaurant or deli? Check out some recipes and make it for yourself. If you make a big pot, you can enjoy it for days.
Try A Soup From Another Country. There are so many different kinds of soup and they vary so much from place to place. Try out a soup from another culture by following an international recipe and making it yourself.
Have A Soup Pot Luck. Have a dinner party in which each person brings over a different kind of soup. This way you can have a tasting party!
Bring Soup To Work. Instead of coffee, fill your thermos up with soup and bring it to work for lunch. It will save money and feel like just the mid-day hug you didn’t know you needed.
Make A Boozy Soup. Yes, that’s a real thing! If you’re of legal drinking age, mull some wine by cooking it on the stove and adding in some fresh fruit to enhance its flavor and texture.
Create Your Own Soup. Play around with some recipes and find your own groove in the kitchen. You can play with different kinds of broths, vegetables, grains, noodles and meats. There are no rules! Just keep playing until you find something that works for you! Don’t forget herbs and spices!
If you’re stuck on which soup to make or try, Campbell’s Soup has done the homework for you. Here’s a list of 31 soups, so you can have a different one every day of the month!
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