Soup Through the Ages - by Victoria R Rumble (Paperback)

About the Book

As the worlds first prepared dish, soup has been at the forefront of filling and nutritious meals since rudimentary cooking vessels like troughs, animal hides, and even earthen pots were finally replaced by more durable and versatile metal pots and cauldrons. With this development, man advanced from simply eating wild grains, seeds, or meat placed in or near a fire to preparing honest-to-goodness soups and stews that followed some vague notion of food as a pleasing experience rather than the simple necessity of fueling the body. Soup became the unpretentious, unparalleled comfort food for all of civilization, the one dish that would, in turn, sustain thousands of ancient Roman plebeians, millions of medieval peasants, and countless settlers of the New World.

Book Synopsis

As cooking advanced from simply placing wild grains, seeds, or meat in or near a fire to following some vague notion of food as a pleasing experience, soup--the world's first prepared dish--became the unpretentious comfort food for all of civilization.

This book provides a comprehensive and worldwide culinary history of soup from ancient times. Appendices detail vegetables and herbs used in centuries-old soup traditions and offer dozens of recipes from the medieval era through World War II.

Review Quotes

"a culinary smorgasbord of historical soups"-C&RL News; "Massive amount of research...a solid contribution to culinary history!"-Andrew F. Smith, editor in chief, The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink; "Rumble...proves she is a consummate researcher and an entertaining writer. Her works possess a quality so lacking in may historical tomes of today; the ability to impart knowledge while making it an enjoyable read in the process! For those of you who thought soup was nothing but a can of Campbell's and a little water or a couple of bouillon cubes, get your taste buds ready for a delight. This book proves that history and good tasting food are not mutually exclusive!"-Steve Abolt, President 7th US Infantry Living History Association Military Historian and Historian Film Consultant; "Victoria Rumble has written a book that is rich with flavor and with history. The worldwide references, the foodways, and the recipes create a book that will inform every bowl of soup that you prepare-or eat! It is a book that belongs on the bookshelves of all historians. The development of soup is the development of civilization."-Elizabeth M. Williams, President Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

About the Author

Victoria R. Rumble is a regular contributor of articles on 18th and 19th century food and material culture to Early American Life and various other publications. She has researched and implemented programs at various historical sites and national parks. She has provided cooking demonstrations in the U.S. and Scotland, including WGN Chicago, and gives programs on historic foods and gardening for historical and genealogical societies including DAR, SAR, garden clubs, herb societies, etc. She is a historical interpreter, and teaches open hearth cooking and historic needle arts. She lives in Amma, West Virginia.