For a quick lunch option, there’s nothing wrong with throwing a slice of bread in the toaster whilst you stir up a packet-mix soup. After all, what other meal can be prepared in less than 10 minutes and combines vegetables, protein and carbohydrates in every mouthful? Although the packet-mix variety might have doubtful nutritional value, typically, the steaming bowls of goodness with a side of bread are both a homemade remedy for all sorts of ailments and an essential requisite on many reputable menus. While crumbs and soup splatters may be slightly more prevalent on kitchen tables than the linens of a Michelin-starred restaurant, there are innumerable possibilities for soups and the sops at both ends of the spectrum.
This tradition of soup and bread could actually date back to the Middle Ages, where gallant knights would finish off a hard day of jousting with a hearty meal eaten off bread trenchers, which were large pieces of bread used in place of dinner plates. Apparently, the soggy leftovers were salvaged by the hungry poor to be eaten with their meagre soups. Over time, carved wooden plates became the norm, but the bread soaked in soup remained a custom.
Whether or not this medieval tale is correct, what we do know is that the same combination was sold as restoratifs by street vendors in 16th century Paris. Restoratif, or ‘a place to be restored’ was indeed an apropos name for the range of comforting broths, nutritious stews and wholesome bouillons, no doubt all served with a thick slice of baguette on the side. Funnily enough, these little streetside stalls eventually led to the restaurants we know today.
Once established, the complementary duo spread to other cuisines, and each culture put its unique mark on it. Italy’s proud practice of ‘bread soup’ was born of necessity when many Italian people were too poor to discard any stale or hardened bread, and it all went into a pot of soup. Now it is far from being an economising measure, and herby focaccias are just as important as the soup itself. In Russia, a common choice is a rich borscht, a creamy beet soup served with a hunk of black bread. Leftover turkey may find its way into a wintry chowder to be sopped up with toasted bagel pieces, and of course, no tomato soup is complete without some delicately toasted and salted croutons.
With its endless varieties and combinations, all tasty, hearty and healthy, the humble soup with its bready sidekick sure deserves its one-time name – restoratif.
Recipe Inspirations
Rich & Creamy Turkey Soup with Everything Bagel Bites
Butternut, Beetroot & Ginger Super Soup
