My Favorite Things-Soup
As winter months longer on, we find ourselves in the Season of Soup. Frigid winter nights call for the hot, steaming comfort afforded by a bowl of soup. The appeal of this entrée reaches as far back as the 16th Century, where there are recorded recipes from the American Colonies. A woman named Eliza Smith had written a book of recipes called “The Complete Housewife”, and it was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, VA, in 1742. It had several recipes for soups and bisques.
Soup for sale was originated in Paris, France. It was an inexpensive meal sold by street vendors, called “restaure”, and advertised as a remedy to combat physical exhaustion. An enterprising Parisian opened up a shop that specialized in these “restaures” in 1765, and were furthermore referred to as what we commonly call today, restaurants. It was quite the find as people always enjoy a good bowl of soup, and it is amongst the best of cures for the common cold.
Soups vary by region, with what is available, and with the imagination of the chef who creates it. They can be either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. There are soups that can be used for either an entrée or appetizer, which are traditionally saltier and consist of either meat and vegetables, and perhaps rice or pasta, such as the ever popular Chicken Noodle or Vegetable Beef Barley, or just vegetables, such as in Minestrone. There are also dessert soups, such as Ginataan, which is a Filipino creation consisting of coconut milk, milk, fruit, and tapioca pearls. The French also have a creation called a Citrus Fruit Soup with Orange Crisps, created with Oranges, Clementines, Pear Syrup and Grand Marnier, among other ingredients.
Whatever your preference, winter is most definitely the time to curl up with a comforting bowl of soup, and enjoy the season.
