Stracciatella (soup) facts for kids
Stracciatella soup
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| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Course | First course |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche |
| Main ingredients | Meat broth, beaten egg |
Stracciatella is a yummy Italian soup. Its name comes from the Italian word stracciare, which means "to shred." So, stracciatella means "a little shred." This soup is made with meat broth and tiny pieces of cooked egg.
To make it, a special egg mixture is slowly poured into hot broth. As it cooks, it forms small shreds. This soup is very popular near Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. A similar soup was even written about way back in the 1400s!
Contents
What is Stracciatella Soup?
Stracciatella soup is a light and tasty soup. It's often served as the first course of a meal. Many families in Italy enjoy it, especially during special times like Easter.
How is Stracciatella Made?
Making traditional Stracciatella is quite fun! First, people beat eggs until they are smooth. Then, they mix in grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Sometimes, they also add lemon zest or a bit of semolina.
This egg mix is then slowly drizzled into boiling meat broth. While pouring, someone stirs the broth gently. This makes the egg cook into small, soft shreds. These shreds are what give the soup its name!
Serving Stracciatella
Once the soup is ready, it's usually served in bowls. Some people like to add thin slices of toasted bread to their soup. You can also sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top.
Some old recipes suggest adding a herb called marjoram for extra flavor. Other recipes say to add chopped parsley as a garnish. In some parts of America, people even add spinach to their Stracciatella soup!
History of Stracciatella
The idea of making soup with eggs and broth is quite old. A recipe for a similar spicy egg and broth soup was written down in the 15th century. It was called zanzarelli. This shows that people have enjoyed egg-based soups for a very long time!
Another soup that is similar to Stracciatella is called sciusceddu. This is a rich soup from Messina in Sicily. It's often eaten during celebrations.
Stracciatella Ice Cream
Did you know that Stracciatella soup even inspired an ice cream flavor? The famous gelato (Italian ice-cream) flavor called Stracciatella was created in 1962.
A restaurant owner in a town called Bergamo invented it. He said he was tired of stirring eggs into broth for his customers from Rome. So, he came up with the idea of adding chocolate shreds to vanilla ice cream, just like the egg shreds in the soup!
Images for kids
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Stracciatella soup
See also
In Spanish: Stracciatella (sopa) para niños
