Are you a lover of soups and soup recipes? In addition to the great taste and variety that soup has, it also has a wide range of uses in our world stories. Here are some known and little known facts about soup that you might find interesting. I did!
o Can you believe that Americans drink over 10 BILLION bowls of soup each year? That’s a lot of soup!
o Each year, 99% of all American households buy soup, making it a $5 billion business. wow! I’m in the wrong business!
or Who eats more soup?. Men or women? Well, for a typical lunch, women seem to be more than twice as likely to eat soup as men. Statistics say, 9.6% vs. 4.0%.
o When was the earliest evidence that our ancestors ate soup? Around 6000 BC! And guess what kind of soup it was? Hippo!
o Then, in the late 1700s, the French king was apparently so infatuated with himself that he had his royal chefs create a soup that allowed him to see his own reflection in the bowl. Caramba! But as a result, he was born consummate (clear broth).
o Since we’re talking about the French, here’s another interesting tidbit about the soup tradition that I had to include on this Soup Facts page. At the French court of Louis XI, ladies’ meals were mainly soup. Guess what the reasoning was? They were afraid that chewing would make them break out into facial wrinkles! If this were true today, plastic surgeons would be out of business!
o This one made me laugh! And yet, it is a fact that intertwines fashion, eating utensils and, of course, soup! Here it is: Why light soups became fashionable in Europe during the 17th century? The spoon was invented. (How did they eat soup before the spoon?) Why was the spoon invented? Because of the latest fashion trend: large, stiff ruffles worn around the necks by men and women of the high courts. (I bet that’s how the clowns got their costume ideas!) The scoop design was to accommodate those big ruffle wearers and keep them from getting soaked!
o The first liquid food most babies receive is milk from the mother’s breast, often called “milk soup.”
o Frank Sinatra would always ask for chicken and rice soup to be available in his dressing rooms before he went on stage. He said that he always cleared his mind and calmed his tummy.
o Another famous person who loved soup was Andy Warhol. He told someone that he painted those famous soup cans because that’s what he ate for lunch, every day for 20 years!
o Soup has always been known as the cure for any ailment of the heart, mind, soul and body… and this old Yiddish saying says it best… “Problems are easier to solve with soup than without” she”.
or “Of soup and love, the first is the best.” – from an old Spanish proverb. (Sometimes, I think that’s very true!)
Want more interesting facts and tips about soup? Just visit Soup Hoopla! Website.