Cold summer soups, called gazpacho, are a classic of Andalusian cuisine. Served cold and refreshing, vegetable soup is one of the best meals for hot summer days. It is mainly due to a lady that the Andalusian delicacy is known in many parts of the world today.
According to legend, it was the Spanish Empress Eugénie de Montijo who, in the 19th century, banged the drum for her favorite and stomach dish so vigorously that the whole country soon became addicted to the dish. Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III and the last monarch to rule over France, was herself a child of Andalusia. Born in Granada, the Spaniard knew and loved the regional delicacies.
Including the gazpacho. Vegetable soup, served cold, was one of the regent’s favorite dishes, even when she was wandering through the palaces far from home. And instead of forgetting the dishes of her origin, she set out to make them socially acceptable in the upper classes of society. The rest is history. It shouldn’t be long before the rest of the population gets a taste for it too. Because unlike most dishes of the upper class, the common foot soldiers could also put gazpacho on their local plates. The ingredients were cheap, the preparation easy.
Many years later, it was the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar who once again brought the Andalusian specialty to the world stage. In his Oscar-nominated tragic comedy “Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown” it is the gazpacho that comes to the fore. Because the soup is mixed with sleeping pills, which gradually takes the main characters out of the game. With the success of the film, gazpacho also gained world fame.
Tomatoes are an integral part of an authentic gazpacho. Originally, however, they had no place in the soup. Because the history of gazpacho goes back much further than the history of the tomato on the European continent. It was the Moors who first put the dish on the plate in Andalusia, probably as early as the first millennium AD. However, at that time it was a completely different soup that was based on hard breadcrumbs.
Today’s flagship of Andalusia was long considered a typical pauper’s dish. It was only when America was discovered, the nutritional possibilities became more diverse and the tomato began its triumphal march in Europe, that the once simple diet changed into what is known today as gazpacho andaluz. And that, strictly speaking, is nothing more than a chilled veggie smoothie.
The best-known variant of the summer soup, which probably originated at the beginning of the 19th century, can be prepared in just a few simple steps. Tomatoes are the basic essence. The soup is spiced up with cucumbers and onions, among other things. For four servings you will need:
500 grams of tomatoes 2 peppers (red and green) 1 cucumber 1 onion 4 cloves of garlic 4 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp sherry vinegar 3 slices of white bread Salt and pepper
First, the white bread is roughly plucked and set aside in a bowl with a little water for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, chop the vegetables and puree them in a blender. Add the soaked bread and olive oil. Depending on the desired consistency, add water. Then season with spices and vinegar. Gazpacho must be served very cold. The soup should therefore be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes before it is served.
