Oxtail soup facts for kids
Oxtail soup with sliced bread
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| Type | Soup or stew |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Various |
| Main ingredients | Beef tails |
Oxtail soup is a yummy soup made from beef tails. Even though it's called "oxtail," the tails actually come from regular cows, not just oxen.
Many people believe oxtail soup was first created in Spitalfields, London, England, in the 1600s. It was made by immigrants from France and Flanders using animal tails. Today, you can find different kinds of oxtail soup all over the world! There are versions from Korea, China, and a special fried or barbecued oxtail soup from Indonesia called sop buntut. There's also a traditional oxtail soup from the American South, and a thick, rich soup popular in the United Kingdom since the 1700s. In Creole cooking, oxtail soup is made with a tomato base, oxtails, potatoes, green beans, corn, and lots of spices.
Chinese Oxtail Soup
In China, "oxtail soup" (牛尾汤 Niúwěi tāng) is often more like a stew than a thin soup. It has big pieces of solid ingredients, not tiny diced ones. You'll find chunks of oxtail, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and mushrooms all mixed in water.
The soup is cooked slowly. This helps the ingredients release all their yummy flavors. The tomatoes and potatoes break down into the water, making the broth a reddish-orange color and making it thicker. The natural oils from the oxtail give the soup most of its rich taste. This soup is served with all the ingredients still in it.
Indonesian Oxtail Soup
In Indonesian cuisine, oxtail soup, called sop buntut (Indonesian: sop buntut), is a very popular dish. It's made with slices of oxtail that are either fried or barbecued. These are served with vegetables in a rich, clear beef broth.
The soup usually includes boiled potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, leek, celery, fried shallots, and dried black mushrooms. Indonesian sop buntut gets its flavor from shallots, garlic, and local spices like black pepper, nutmeg, and clove. There's also a newer version called sop buntut goreng (fried oxtail soup). For this, the oxtail is seasoned and fried, then served dry. The soup broth is served in a separate bowl. People often eat this dish with rice, along with sambal (a spicy sauce), sweet soy sauce, and lime juice.
Korean Oxtail Soup
Korean oxtail soup is called kkori-gomtang (꼬리곰탕). It's a type of gomguk, which means beef bone soup. Sometimes, people just call it "bone soup."
To make kkori-gomtang, raw oxtail is simmered for many hours. Other ingredients like garlic, salt, black pepper, and green onions are added for flavor. While it cooks, any fat that rises to the top must be carefully removed. The final soup is a rich beef broth with a garlic taste and tender pieces of meat.
Canned Oxtail Soup
In the past, the Campbell Soup Company used to sell a canned, condensed oxtail soup. Today, oxtail is a popular flavor of Heinz soups in the United Kingdom.
See also
In Spanish: Sopa de rabo de buey para niños
