My random curiosity and thirst for knowledge got me thinking about the abundance of leftovers many people have after a holiday celebration. This led me to write about how these ingredients can be used to make soup and about the dish in general.
What Is Soup
Soup is a liquid or thick, creamy food that’s usually hot and savoury.
Origin
Soup has ancient roots, as the earliest evidence of it dates back to 20,000 BC (40,000 years ago) through the discovery of scorched ancient pottery in China. Other vessels used were reed baskets, animal hide pouches and turtle shells placed on hot rocks or open fires. It was common practice to keep the mixture simmering for days, adding water and other ingredients available daily.
In the middle ages, it was called pottage, meaning cooked in a pot. The word soup that we are familiar with today comes from the Latin word suppa, which passed into the French word soupe, describing broth over bread.
It evolved into a humble meal that was a staple food consumed by the poor, but over time the wealthy and even royalty began enjoying this dish.
A Spoonful of History
Pioneer settlers made soup on the wagon trail and later, without refrigeration, canned homemade soup which they stored in root cellars and ice houses.
Large families were fed a lot of soup. It was an affordable and manageable way to feed a big group. Fresh meat and produce, leftovers, grains, noodles, rice, or dumplings were added to make a more filling dish.
I mentioned making soup in my stories about homesteaders, the Great Depression and The Dirty Thirties. These were times when using water to stretch your ingredients was a survival-based innovation. Soup kitchens set up in urban areas were a lifeline for many families and they still exist today in various regions.
Food As Medicine
Using food as medicine is an ancient tradition. Is it true that it is beneficial to consume chicken soup when you’re sick with a cold? The answer is yes, as the warm broth helps keep you hydrated and opens your nasal passages. The other ingredients - salt, spices, vegetables, chicken and noodles provide the electrolytes, protein and carbohydrates your body needs when you’re not eating or drinking as usual. There was a huge jump in sales of bouillon cubes during COVID, so either people were sick and drinking broth, or they were bored and making gravy or soup. Who knew, the scalper hoarders should’ve been stockpiling bouillon cubes instead of toilet paper.
Timeline of Commercially Produced Soup Products
When commercially produced options became available; they quickly lined the cupboards of many homes.
1873 - Knorr dried soup mix
1897 - Campbells condensed soup
1910 - XOX bouillon cubes
1910 - Heinz tomato soup (which is still their bestseller)
1958 - instant soup noodles
1990 - ready to eat canned soups
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1944 AdvertisementCanned soup is quick and easy but can have a high salt content, so reading labels is important to find the healthiest options.
A Wartime Staple
During the first world war, OXO supplied the British armed forces with 100 million bouillon cubes individually wrapped in foil. Their portability made them an excellent food; dissolved in hot water, they replenished electrolytes and kept hunger at bay.
A vintage bouillon cube container.
There was definitely a different perspective on the packaging of products then, as this metal box would remain in a landfill forever, but people didn’t throw stuff out as quickly as we do today. A box like this would have been kept for many years and reused for various purposes.
Dishes & Utensils
Styles and designs of pots, tureens, bowls, spoons and ladles were introduced and the designs evolved. Everyone has their preference of how they eat soup: in a bowl, a cup, with a soup spoon or a teaspoon. Some uncouth individuals annoyingly slurp it off the spoon or pick the bowl up and drink out of it. Taking my soup pot with me to the grave isn’t high on my list of priorities, but in ancient Rome, individuals were buried with theirs.
Crackers
Bread or biscuits were traditionally served with soup until people began adding saltine crackers when these perforated, thin squares were introduced in the early 1900s. They were marketed to enhance the flavour and texture of the dish, but some soup connoisseurs rejected them, preferring to enjoy their soup in its original state.
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Recipes
Mothers have passed down recipes for generations, which have been recorded in cookbooks since the 1700s. I grew up on homemade soup, and when my parents kept our kids when we went to work Mom always had a pot of soup ready for them at 11:00 a.m., especially in the fall and winter.
Culture & Soup
There are hundreds of concocted versions of soup made around the world today under many names.
Every culture has a signature soup, which is based on available ingredients and herbs and spices customarily used in their country.
Depending on your location, you may have soup for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Consuming it to start the day is a common practice in Chinese, Turkish and Vietnamese cultures. I find this interesting because many of us were raised with a set way of thinking; certain foods were for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the line wasn’t crossed. That is another one of those things that we keep doing the same way because that’s how it’s always been done.
The First Course
Soup is traditionally served as the first course of a meal as it promotes the secretion of digestive juices inside the stomach, which aid in the digestion of the main meal.
Nostalgia
Soup has changed from a meagre broth to the hardy, nutrient dense types that we are familiar with today that leaves us feeling satisfied. The smell of soup simmering on the stove feels like home; it takes us back, provides nourishment but also comfort.
Is The Art Of Soup-Making Still Alive?
How you would answer that question may depend on the generation you’re from - are you a great-grandparent, a grandparent, a parent or a young adult? The older generations would say yes as they are attached to soup and consume it frequently. I hope this knowledge is shared in your family and you give it a try.
My Preferences
As a young adult, I would order French onion soup at the Venice House restaurant and think I was quite refined. To be honest, it still makes me feel that way. Recently, I have broadened my restaurant experience to include roasted root vegetable soups with seeds and crudites on top. I also enjoy mushroom, potatoe, chicken and won ton soup as well as borscht.
I have made chicken and beef varieties and won ton soup, but I would love to learn to make different kinds soups.
It is not difficult to make, but anything made from scratch can be time-consuming. The quality of the ingredients is important, but it is also the effort put into the dish that makes it good.
There has been a lot of discussion promoting the health benefits of bone broth, a type of stock made using meaty bones that have a lot of connective tissue. Proponents claim it is good for gut health, weight management, collagen intake, injury recovery, and as a sleep aid.
I often make it in stages; for example, I’ll cook a chicken, boil the bones covered in water, cool and then remove the bones. I freeze the broth and meat to use when the culinary mood strikes. Once you have done this, you are well on your way to some great soup.
Do you make homemade soup?
A Pinch Of Humour
Is chicken soup good for the soul? Not if you’re the chicken!
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