From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
- This article is about the soup. For other uses, see Gazpacho (disambiguation).
Gazpacho with blended ingredients.
Gazpacho with diced ingredients.
Gazpacho soup, also known as gazpacho, is a cold, Spanish liquid salad that is popular in warmer areas and during the summer. Gazpacho descends from an ancient Andalusian concoction based on a combination of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar - a cold breadsoup. With the Columbian Exchange beginning in 1492, the tomato and the bell pepper were brought to Europe.
In the United States and other countries, there exists the common misconception that the fundamental ingredient of Gazpacho is tomato. While tomato is an important ingredient of the most commonly-known form of Gazpacho, it is still the original ingredients mentioned above which define this recipe. In Andalusia, there are many types of Gazpacho, many of them not including tomato at all. One very popular type of Gazpacho is White Gazpacho or Ajoblanco Malagueño made principally with almonds, bread, garlic, vinegar and oil.
A completely different approach for this recipe is gazpacho manchego. As the name implies it seems to have originated from the La Mancha region in Spain, but it is also popular in other areas in the center and southwest of the country. Instead of a cold soup, it is a warm stew. The main ingredients are meat (rabbit in many cases) and bread (a special kind of flat bread), and may also include mushrooms. Therefore, bread is the ingredient that really identifies a gazpacho.
[edit] Sample recipe
[edit] Ingredients
Ingredients for one variant of gazpacho. These may not match the given recipe.
[edit] To garnish:
- 2 tomatoes, skinned, diced small
- 1/2 green pepper, diced small
- 1/4 peeled cucumber, diced small
- toasted baguette cubes
The soup also classically has hard boiled egg as an accompaniment. The garnishes are served separate in little bowls to be added as desired. Occasionally, restaurants in western Spain serve a tomato gazpacho garnished with small cubes of the local ham (e.g. jamón serrano, jamón de bellota, etc...). This is common in Extremadura, where much high-quality ham is produced. On menus in cerain Extremeduran restaurants, gazpacho with local ham is called gazpacho extremeño. The ham tends to be added to the soup in the kitchen prior to serving (unlike the other garnishes which are provided in separate dishes and added at the table).
[edit] Method
Skin the tomatoes and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and stalks from peppers. Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks and prepare the other garnishes. Tear up the bread and soak it in water for 30 minutes and then squeeze it dry.
Blend all the ingredients. Chill for at least an hour. Pour into large bowl with some ice, add salt and pepper. Serve garnishes in separate little bowls on the table, so that guests can sprinkle on their own toppings.
Serve chilled.
[edit] Gazpacho in film and television
- In the science fiction series Red Dwarf, one character (Arnold Rimmer) recounts a story of humiliation when he, as a young cadet in the Space Corps was invited to sit at the Captain's table. When his starter, gazpacho, arrived, it was stone cold. Thinking this was a mistake, he decided to try and impress the surrounding officers with his assertiveness and when the waiter returned he severely reprimanded him. He continued to mock and insult the waiter, much to everyone's apparent amusement, until he received his piping-hot bowl of gazpacho, as requested. He believed he had made quite on impression on the officers until he later discovered that gazpacho was meant to be served cold, and then realized the officers were not laughing at his witty put-downs, but at his attempts at getting a hot bowl of gazpacho. He firmly believed his career as an officer had ended there and considered the moment to be the most embarrassing of his entire life. This scenario was inspired by a scene the creators of Red Dwarf witnessed while in the boardroom of Thames Television.
- In Pedro Almodovar's 1987 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios), different characters help themselves to gazpacho which has been spiked with barbiturates by Pepa (Carmen Maura) and instantly fall into a deep and long sleep.
- In The Simpsons series episode [3F03] - "Lisa the Vegetarian", Lisa Simpson pronounces the following piece of dialogue: 'Good news, everyone! You don't have to eat meat! I made enough gazpacho for all... It's a tomato soup, served ice cold!' to which Barney Gumble replies 'Go back to Russia!'. The only character seen eating the soup is Santa's Little Helper.
- In the second series episode of comedy show The Mighty Boosh titled "The fountain of youth", Howard Moon and Vince Noir sing a soup song. The lyrics are "Soup soup, the tasty soup soup, the spicy carrots and coriander... chili chowder, crouton crouton, crunchy friend of a liquid broth, I am gazpachio oh I am a summer soup mmm misso misso, fighting in the dojo misso misso, oriental prince of the land of soup. "
- In the series Will & Grace, in episode Guess Who's Not Coming To Dinner, Grace serves gazpacho which is not popular with her dinner guests.
[edit] External links
