Bread soup facts for kids
German-styled bread soup called Brotsuppe
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| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Unknown; possibly Germany |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Stale brown bread, meat or sausage broth, marjoram, onions, spices, sometimes cream |
| Variations | Millefanti |
Bread soup is a simple and tasty dish. It is made mostly from old, or "stale," bread. People in many countries enjoy different kinds of bread soup. It is often eaten during Lent, a time when some people choose to eat simpler meals. You can make it with both dark (brown) bread and light (white) bread.
Contents
Making Delicious Bread Soup
The main liquid for bread soup is usually a meat or vegetable broth. Broth is a flavorful liquid made by simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water. Sometimes, it is even made with fish broth.
How to Prepare the Bread
To make bread soup, the stale bread is prepared in a few ways. It can be cut into small pieces and put right into the hot broth. Another way is to cook the bread with onions and spices in the broth. After cooking, this mixture is often pureed. This means it is blended until it becomes smooth.
Adding Extra Flavors
Many different ingredients can be added to bread soup to make it even more delicious. Some recipes include crispy bacon, egg, and cream. Other versions might have liver sausage or blood sausage. A common way to season the soup is with a herb called marjoram.
In Italy, there is a special type of bread soup called millefanti. This version often uses egg and Parmesan cheese. Some fancy bread soups even have a little wine in them! Other, more traditional, types might use malt or beer for a unique taste.
Brewis: A British Bread Soup
Brewis is a type of bread soup that comes from North England. Originally, the word brewis meant bread that was soaked in the drippings from cooked meat. Over time, it started to mean broths that were made thicker with bread. Sometimes, oatmeal was used instead of bread to thicken the soup.
Brewis in New England
A similar dish was made in the cuisine of New England in the United States. This version used rye bread or Boston brown bread. The bread was softened with milk and maple syrup, making a sweet and hearty meal.
Different Bread Soups Around the World
Many countries have their own special versions of bread soup. Here are a few examples:
- Açorda in Portuguese cuisine
- Acquacotta, also known as pancotta
- Brotsuppe in German cuisine
- Ollebrod in Danish cuisine
- Pappa al pomodoro
- Ribollita in Italian cuisine
- Sopa de ajo in Spanish cuisine
- Soup Pain in Haitian cuisine
- Tyurya in Russian cuisine
- Wodzianka in Polish cuisine (Silesia and Central Poland)
- Velija Loksy in Slovakian cuisine
- Paomo in Chinese cuisine
