Soup Facts – Fun Trivia!
Are you a lover of soup and soup recipes? Besides the great taste and variety that soup has, it also has a wide array of uses in our histories of the world. Here are some known and little-known soup facts that you might find interesting. I did!
o Can you believe that Americans sip over 10 BILLION bowls of soup every single year! That’s a lot of soup!
o Every year, 99% of all American homes buy soup – turning it into a $5 billion business. Whoa! I’m in the wrong business!
o Who eats more soup?. Men or women? Well, for a typical lunch, women seem to be more than twice as likely to eat soup as men. Statistics say, 9.6% vs. 4.0%.
o When was the earliest evidence of our ancestors eating soup? About 6000 BC! And guess what kind of soup it was? Hippopotamus!
o So, in the late 1700s, apparently the French King was so enamored with himself that he had his royal chefs create a soup that would allow him to see his own reflection in the bowl. Sheesh! But as a result, consommé (clear broth) was born.
o Since we’re talking about the French here’s another interesting tidbit of soup lore that I had to include on this Soup Facts page. In the French Court of Louis XI, the ladies’ meals were mostly soup. Guess what the reasoning was? They were afraid that chewing would make them break out in facial wrinkles! If this were true today, it would put plastic surgeons out of business!
o This one cracked me up! And yet, it’s a fact that intertwines fashion, eating utensils and of course, soup! Here it is: Why did thin soups became all the rage in Europe during the 17th century? The spoon was invented. (How did they eat soup before the spoon???) Why was the spoon invented? Because of the latest fashion trend: large and stiff ruffles that the men and the women of the high courts wore around their necks. (I bet that’s how clowns got their ideas for their costumes!) The design of the spoon was to accommodate wearers of those large ruffles and keep themselves from getting dripped on!
o The first liquid nourishment most babies get is the milk from the mother’s breast, often times called “Milk Soup.”
o Frank Sinatra always asked for chicken and rice soup to be available to him in his dressing rooms before he went on stage. He said it always cleared his mind and settled his tummy.
o Another famous person who loved soup was Andy Warhol. He told someone that he painted those famous soup cans because its what he had for lunch – every day for 20 years!
o Soup has always been known as the curative for any ailment of the heart, mind, soul and body… and this old Yiddish saying says it best… “Troubles are easier to take with soup than without.”
o “Of soup and love, the first is the best.” – from an old Spanish proverb. (Sometimes, I think that is very true!)
Want more interesting facts and tips about soup? Simply visit the Soup Hoopla! Website.