Black soup facts for kids

Black soup was a special dish from ancient Sparta. It was made with boiled pork meat and blood, flavored only with salt and vinegar. This soup was very well known in the Greek world during ancient times. However, no original recipe for it still exists today.

The first time black soup was mentioned was in the 400s BC. It appeared in a comedy play called The Miners, written by Pherecrates. Ancient writings disagree on whether the soup was a fancy meal for special parties or a simple dish that all Spartiates (Spartan citizens) could afford.

What's in a Name?

The ancient Greek writer, Plutarch, who lived around 100 AD, wrote about a Spartan dish in his book Life of Lycurgus. He called it μέλας ζωμός, mélas zōmós. Today, this phrase is translated as "black soup" or "black broth."

In other old writings, this same dish was also called αἱματία, haimatía, which means "blood soup." Sometimes, it was simply called ζωμός, zōmós.

In ancient Greek, the word μέλας, mélas means black. The word ζωμός, zōmós could mean any soup made with animal products. The philosopher Plato also used the word zōmós when talking about a meat dish.

Old Stories About the Soup

Most of the old stories about black soup were written by people who were not from Sparta. These writers include Pherecrates (from the 400s BC), Alexis and Matro of Pitane (from the 300s and 200s BC), and Euphron (from the 200s BC).

For example, in Pherecrates' play, The Miners, a woman who returns from the underworld says she saw black broth flowing freely in the streets. This shows it was a common idea. Another writer, Antiphanes, also said that black soup was a main part of Spartan culture in his play The Archon.

Sometimes, references to black soup were not so direct. In Aristophane's play Knights, a line says, "He has had tasty stews exported from Athens for the Spartan fleet." This poet was probably making fun of Spartan black broth, suggesting it wasn't as good as Athenian stew.

A very old historical book called Suda Lexicon, written around 900 AD, says that zomós was a broth made from pig, cow, goat, sheep, or bear meat.

Where Did It Come From?

According to a play by Euphron, a comedy writer from the 200s BC, a cook mentions that a man named Lamprias invented the Spartan black soup. However, we can't really check if this is true today.

What Was in It?

A photograph of the remains of ancient Sparta's agora. This was a busy market where Spartans would buy pigs for black soup.

We don't have the exact recipe for black soup today. But old writings, including historical and medical texts, describe the soup and its ingredients. From these writings, we can guess that the Spartans made this dish using pig's blood and meat. They used only salt and vinegar for seasoning.

Plutarch wrote that the solid meat pieces in the soup were taken out and served separately to younger people at parties. The older people would only drink the liquid. This suggests that the soup was mainly made from meat.

In another book, Plutarch says that Spartan cooks could only use vinegar and salt to prepare their food. They were also supposed to use every part of an animal that was sacrificed. Historians think that the vinegar was mixed with the animal's blood during cooking. Adding vinegar would slow down the blood from clumping together and keep it from going bad.

A writer named Dicaearchus (from the 300s and 200s BC) said that one Spartan dish was a "ζωμός" made from boiled pork. The money for the pork came from each person eating at the Spartan mess hall, called a syssitia. These mess halls were like dinner clubs where Spartan men would eat together after finishing their military training.

When Did Spartans Eat It?

It's debated how often Spartans ate black soup and if it was considered a fancy food. Some ancient writers suggest that common people in Sparta ate pea soup, not the meat-based black soup. This makes sense because killing an animal for soup would have been a big deal. For example, pigs were often part of offerings during royal sacrifices.

However, there is also evidence that black soup was a simple, inexpensive dish. In one poem, black soup is mentioned alongside akrokólia, which were boiled animal parts like skin, ears, and snouts. This suggests black soup was also a cheap meal.

At Banquets

In ancient Sparta, communal banquets (big shared meals) often included black soup. Other foods served were a type of barley bread or cake called máza, small servings of boiled pork, olives, cheese, and figs. Sometimes, they also had fish, hare, and pigeon. Spartans also ate seasonal foods like birds and game.

Máza was a common food for ancient Greeks, especially for poor people who couldn't afford much else. It was often flat, so it could even be used as a plate. Both black soup and máza were likely simple foods, not fancy ones.

Spartan banquets would end with dessert. Plutarch also says that wine was served. Some old poems suggest Sparta once had fancy feasts, but other writings say Spartan banquets were "unsophisticated" and didn't have many side dishes or baked goods. This shows that Spartan meals were generally much simpler than those in other places.

During Religious Events

Some old writings suggest that zomós was made using leftover meat from sacrifices during the Panathenaea celebrations. This soup was given to the poor, while wealthier people received meat.

During the Cleaver festival (kopis), black soup was served at the temple of Apollo in Amyclae, a city controlled by Sparta. Along with the soup, barley cakes and wheat bread were also served.

On Military Trips

There are no records of Spartans eating black soup during military trips. A historian from the 400s BC, Thucydides, described the Spartan army's food during a battle. Their rations included ground corn, cheese, wine, and "any other food useful in a siege." Black soup was not specifically mentioned. While Spartan soldiers were usually well-fed, there's no clear evidence that black soup was a regular part of their diet during military campaigns.

At Home

Interestingly, ancient writings don't say whether black soup was cooked or served in Spartan homes. Spartan banquets were only for adult male citizens. So, we don't know if younger children or women in Sparta ever got to taste the soup. Also, the citizen class, called Spartiates, was only about 6% of Spartan society, which means not many people would have eaten this dish.

How Famous Was It?

The Spartan black soup was well known to other Greeks in ancient times.

Plutarch tells a story about a king from Pontus who bought a Spartan cookbook to make this dish. After trying it, the king said he didn't like it. The cook replied that you could only truly enjoy this broth after swimming in the Eurotas River, a famous river in Sparta. This suggests that you needed to be raised in Spartan society to appreciate the soup's unique taste. Another writer, Cicero, tells a similar story, but with a different king.

Plutarch also wrote that the Athenian general, Alcibiades, tried to fit into Spartan society by eating black soup when he had to flee Athens and live in Sparta.

Plutarch also shared a story where someone from Sybaris (a city known for luxury) said that it wasn't a big deal for Spartans to die in wars, because it meant escaping such a hard and miserable life. Historians think this comment supports the idea that ancient Sparta had very tough customs and simple food.

The unique taste of the broth is also shown in a story about how Spartans felt about sharing it with outsiders. Cleomenes, a Spartan king from the 200s BC, once argued with a friend about serving black soup to foreign visitors. He believed they wouldn't appreciate the flavor. Historians think Spartans were hesitant to share this dish with non-Spartans because it had such a distinct taste.

Modern Mentions

When Spartan history became popular in the United States in the late 1700s, Benjamin Rush, one of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, praised the Spartan black broth.

A British scholar, W. Geoffrey Arnott, suggested that "the Gypsies still served this dish at fairs in northern England up to the 1940s."

See also

In Spanish: Caldo negro para niños