How do we love thee? Let us count the ways – chunky, clear, creamy, low-fat, with a dash of spice, or naturally sweet, served hot, sometimes cold. Oh, there are a million ways to enjoy soup! And now there is another reason to do so. January is National Soup Month. Perfect isn’t it because nothing drives away those chilly winter blues like a hot bowl of your favorite soup. And it’s nutritious too! So, go ahead indulge and get souped-up on soup this month.
National Soup Month - History
1962
Pop Art Soup
Andy Warhol painted the famous Campbell Soup cans. He confessed to drinking Campbell soup for lunch, for 20 years. For the love of soup!
1897
Shape of Soup to Come
The condensed soup gets invented by a chemist, Dr. John T. Dorrance, for the “Campbell Soup Company”.
1765
The First Soup Shop
The first Parisian shop opened selling soup as an antidote to physical exhaustion.
20,000 B.C.
Soup Immemorial
Evidence suggests the existence of soup as far back as 20,000 B.C. Hot rocks and clay vessels were used to cook soup.
National Soup Month Activities
1. Throw a winter soup party
Start off the menu with a soup made with winter vegetables and other farm-to-table ingredients, and end with a heavenly dessert consommé. Or the uninitiated can hit the stores and pick from an impressive selection of heat and serve soups. Whatever works!
2. Pay it forward
If you have soup at your table, you are fortunate. Volunteer at a soup kitchen and feed the hungry.
3. Invent your family soup recipe
Put on your chef’s hat. Ask everyone in the family to pick their favorite vegetable, meat, herb, or spice. Include them in a family recipe that you can hand down to the next generation!
Why We Love National Soup Month
A. No cook spoils the soup
Try it! Throw all your favorite ingredients in broth, with a bit of pre-made spice mix (whatever you fancy). Add cayenne for an extra kick. Or not. Slow cook. Cool. Purée. Add butter. Salt. Voila! A tasty soup is ready. Anybody can cook soup. And survive on it, if needed.
B. You can never tell what’s in it
And that’s a good thing. How else would mothers hide all those yucky but nutritious veggies that kids turn up their noses at!
C. It’s a double-edged sword
Soup can work up an appetite when served at the start of a course, or stave off hunger when eaten as a meal, helping in weight management.
