Onion soup facts for kids
Onion soup is a yummy type of vegetable soup. It's made mostly with sliced onions! People make it in many different ways all over the world. The most famous kind is the French onion soup, sometimes called Parisian onion soup. For a long time, this soup was a common meal for people who didn't have much money, because onions and other ingredients were cheap.
Most onion soups are made by cooking thin slices of onion in a little bit of butter or oil. Then, a liquid like water or broth is added. Sometimes, even white wine is used! The soup cooks for a while. This makes the onions lose their strong taste and gives the soup a sweet, savory flavor. Some recipes also add flour or egg yolks to make the soup thicker.
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French Onion Soup: A Classic Dish
French onion soup is super famous! It's also known as soupe à l'oignon or soupe d'oignons aux Halles. People in France have been enjoying onion soup for a very long time.
One of the first recipes for soupe à l'oignon was written way back in the 1400s! It was in a cookbook called Le Viandier by a chef named Guillaume Tirel. Later, in 1651, another chef named François Pierre La Varenne wrote about adding bread to onion soup in his cookbook.
By the 1700s, French onion soup was a popular meal in Paris. You could find it in the Quartier des Halles, a big market area. Merchants, customers, and tourists all loved to eat it.
How Classic French Onion Soup is Made
To make classic French onion soup, thinly sliced onions (and sometimes garlic) are slowly cooked in butter or oil. They cook until they turn a beautiful golden color. Then, a little flour is sprinkled on top, and white wine is added. After that, vegetable broth or meat broth is poured in, and the soup cooks slowly.
A very popular way to serve this soup is with toasted pieces of white bread, called croutons. These croutons soak up the soup. Then, shredded cheese is added on top, and the whole dish is baked until the cheese is bubbly and golden. This is called soupe à l'oignon gratinée or soupe au fromage. It's a bit like a cheese soup!
There's also a Strasbourg onion soup. It's similar to the Parisian one, but it uses croutons and a raw egg yolk. Another type is soupe Soubise. For this one, the onions are blended until smooth, and the soup is made thicker with a creamy Béchamel sauce. Instead of regular toast, it's served with croutons and little pieces of choux pastry. This soup was named after a famous general and food-lover, Charles, Prince of Soubise.
Onion Soup Around the World
Onion soup is enjoyed in many countries, each with its own special twist!
German Onion Soup
Germany also has onion soups that are similar to the French kind.
- The Palatinate onion soup is made with cream and wine. It's spiced with caraway seeds and served with toasted bread, but without cheese.
- In southern Germany, onion soup is made thicker with a light roux (a mix of butter and flour). It's then strained and made even thicker with egg yolk. It's served with toasted bread pieces.
- An old recipe from 1885 describes a very simple German onion soup. It uses sliced dark bread soaked in boiling water, served with onions cooked in butter.
- Onion soup from the Rhine area includes onions, meat broth, carrots, and roasted bratwurst. The soup is strained and spiced with vinegar. The sliced bratwurst is served alongside the soup.
- Hamburgian onion soup is made with shallots, meat broth, and sherry. It's served with croutons and cheese.
Italian Onion Soup
Italy has its own version of onion soup. Instead of broth and wine, it often uses milk. It's served with croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese, but these are usually not baked until melted.
There's also a dish called Cipollata. It's a bit like a German Eintopf (a thick stew-like soup). Cipollata is made with onions, sliced bacon, and tomatoes. These are boiled together, and then a mix of Parmesan cheese and whipped eggs is added. If it gets too thick, a little water is added. Cipollata is also served with toasted bread.
Arabian Onion Soup
In the Middle East, there's a type of Arabian onion soup called Cherbah. It includes bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, all sliced with the onions. The soup is made thicker with meat broth. It's spiced with black pepper, salt, fresh mint, and lemon juice. Finally, Cherbah is often made thicker with egg yolk.
