 Senate bean soup at theCapitol Visitor Center | |
| Alternative names | U.S. Senate Bean Soup |
|---|---|
| Course | Soup |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | United States Senate |
| Main ingredients | Navy beans,ham hocks, sometimesmashed potatoes |
United States Senate Bean Soup or simplySenate bean soup is asoup made withnavy beans,ham hocks, andonion. It is served in the dining room of theUnited States Senate every day, in a tradition that dates back to the early20th century. The original version includedcelery,garlic, andparsley.
According to the Senate website, "Bean soup is on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day. There are several stories about the origin of that mandate, but none has been corroborated."[1][2]
On September 14, 1943,rationing due toWorld War II left the Senate kitchen without enough navy beans to serve the soup. TheWashington Times-Herald reported on its absence the following day. In a speech on the Senate floor in 1988,Bob Dole recounted the response to the crisis: "Somehow, by the next day, more beans were found and bowls of bean soup have been ladled up without interruption ever since."[3]
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A 1967memo from theArchitect of the Capitol to theLibrarian of the Senate describes the modern recipe, calling for "two pounds of smallMichigan Navy Beans".[4]
John Egerton writes inSouthern Food that the use of ham hocks suggests an origin inSouthern cuisine. Although the legislators credited with institutionalizing the soup did not representSouthern states, most of the cooks at the time wereblack Southerners who would prepare bean soup in their own style.[5] There was a period when the Senate dining services omitted theham and instead used asoup base. In 1984, a new manager discovered this practice; he later reflected, "we went back to theham hocks, and there was a real difference."[6]
According toThe Best Soups in the World, "most reports ... suggest that it unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired."[7]
As of 2010, people authorized by a letter from a senator may eat in theSenate dining room. There is adress code. The soup is also available to the general public at theCapitol Visitor Center restaurant on a rotating basis and in theLongworth Cafeteria.
TheProject Greek Island bunker, aCold War-era emergency relocation center for Congress, included a cafeteria that would have served Senate bean soup.[8]
Past prices for a bowl include:
