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Onion soup is a type ofvegetable soup with slicedonions as the main ingredient. It is prepared in different variations in many countries, the most famous of which isFrench onion soup or Parisian onion soup. Because of the affordable ingredients, it has primarily been a dish for the poor for a long time.
Common for all variations of onion soup is the use of thinly sliced or chopped onions soaked in fat, and a liquid base such as water orbroth, possibly includingwhite wine, after which the soup is cooked for a while so that the onions lose their strong flavour and the soup gains a sweet, spicy flavour. In many recipes the soup is thickened with flour or egg yolks.
An early recipe calledsoupe à l'oignon appears in the recipe collectionLe Viandier byGuillaume Tirel in the 15th century.[1]François Pierre La Varenne, the chef ofMarie de' Medici, described the use of bread as an addition to onion soup in his 1651 cookbookLe Cuisinier François.[2]
The French or Parisian onion soup (soupe à l'oignon orsoupe d'oignons aux Halles) was already offered as food for merchants, customers and tourists in theQuartier des Halles in the 18th century.
The classic way to prepare the dish is to slowly soak thinly sliced onions, sometimes alsogarlic, in butter or vegetable oil, until they gain a golden yellow colour, then to sprinkle them with flour and soak them in white wine. Then water and vegetable broth or more commonly, meat broth is added and the soup is slowly cooked. It is also common to soak roasted bits of white bread (croutons) in the soup, add shredded cheese andgratinate the whole dish (soupe à l'oignon gratinée orsoupe au fromage, see alsocheese soup).[3]
Strasbourg onion soup is similar to Parisian, the difference being the use of croutons and a raw egg yolk.
A further variety is thesoupe soubise, where the onions arepuréed and the soup is thickened withbéchamel sauce. Instead of roast bread the soup is served with croutons and bits ofchoux pastry. Similarly toSoubise sauce, the soup was named after its creator, the field marshal and gourmetCharles, Prince of Soubise.
Onion soup similar to the French variety is also known in Germany. The Palatinate onion soup is prepared with cream and wine, spiced with caraway, and served with roast bread without cheese. The south German onion soup is thickened with lightroux, run through a sieve, thickened with egg yolk and served with bits of roast bread. Marie Buchmeier's 1885 cookbookPraktischem Kochbuch für die bürgerliche, sowie feine Küche contains an extremely simple recipe for the soup, where sliced dark bread is soaked in a terrine, soaked with boiling water and served with sliced onions turned yellow with butter. Onion soup from the Rhine area contains onions, meat broth, bits of carrot and roastedbratwurst. The soup is run through a sieve and spiced with vinegar, the bratwurst is sliced and served along the soup. Hamburgian onion soup is prepared with shallots, meat broth and sherry and served with croutons and cheese.
As well as the French onion soup, there is also a variety in Italy, where milk is substituted for the broth and the wine. It is served with croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese, which are not roasted.
TheCipollata is a dish of its own, resembling the GermanEintopf soup. It is prepared with onions, sliced bacon and tomatoes, which are thoroughly boiled and added to the soup with a mix of Parmesan and whipped eggs. If the soup becomes too thick it is watered down. Cipollata is also served with roast bread.
Chorba is a category of onion-based soups common in theMiddle East andWest Asia, often made with varying ingredients relative to regional and national cuisines. They typically also includevegetables, a type ofmeat (beef,chicken,lamb and mutton orgoat meat) andlegumes, which are simmered together with onions inbroth.
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