Cock-a-leekie facts for kids
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| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Scotland |
| Main ingredients | Leeks, chicken stock, thickener (oatmeal, rice or pearl barley) |
| Variations | Prunes, bacon |
Cock-a-leekie soup is a yummy Scottish soup. It's made with leeks and a tasty chicken stock that has pepper in it. Sometimes, people add rice or barley to make it thicker.
Did you know that the very first recipes for this soup often included prunes? Some people still add prunes to their soup today, cutting them into thin strips as a garnish.
Even though it's known as "Scotland's National Soup," this dish might have started in France. Back then, it was probably a chicken and onion soup. By the late 1500s, it traveled to Scotland. That's when the onions were swapped out for leeks! The first recipe was written down in 1598. But the fun name "cock-a-leekie" didn't become popular until the 1700s.
Good news for everyone! There are also vegetarian versions of this soup. These often have leeks and other mixed vegetables. They might even use a chicken-flavored meat substitute and prunes.
Contents
History of Cock-a-leekie Soup
How Old is This Soup?
The first time we see this soup mentioned is in a book from 1737 called the Orchtertyre House Book. It talks about a dinner that included "cockie leekie fowlls in it." This shows the soup was already a known dish back then.
Early Recipes and Famous Cooks
One of the earliest recipes for Cock-a-leekie soup comes from a famous Victorian cookbook writer named Isabella Beeton. Her recipe suggested making the soup thicker with "the fine part of oatmeal."
Another well-known cook, Christian Isobel Johnstone (also known as Meg Dods), had her own ideas. She said the soup "must be very thick of leeks." She also mentioned that the first part of the leeks should be boiled down until the soup becomes a "lubricous compound," which means it gets very smooth and rich.
See also
In Spanish: Cock-a-leekie para niños
