Onion Soup

A Nineteenth-Century Recipe

Chop up twelve large onions. Boil them in three quarts of milk and water equally mixed. Put in a bit of veal or fowl, and a piece of bacon with pepper and salt. When the onions are boiled to a pulp, thicken it with a large spoonful of butter mixed with one of flour. Take out the meat, and serve it up with toasted bread cut in small pieces in the soup.

List of ingredients and quantities needed:

○ Twelve large onions

○ 1 ½ quarts whole milk

○ 1 ½ quarts water

○ Beef

○ Bacon bits

○ Pepper

○ Salt

○ 2 sticks of Butter

○ Flour

○ A loaf of French bread

Equipment

○ Cutting board

○ Coleman Stove

○ Knife

○ Bowl

○ Pot

○ Two Big Spoons (ladle and serving)

○ Measuring cup

○ Plates

Anachronisms

For our soup, we will be utilizing multiple anachronisms. The original recipe called for veal, but we will be using beef instead. Also, instead of a single strip of bacon, our soup will contain bacon bits. Additionally, we are not going to be putting toasted bread in the soup, but we are going to provide French bread on the side. There’s going to be an extra stick of butter for the French bread, as well. Furthermore, our equipment and utensils are going to differ from the 19th century. For instance, we will use a Coleman grill to cook, stainless steel pots instead of clay pots, and measuring cups instead of spoons.

List anachronisms

1. 1. Bacon = Bacon bits

   2. Coleman grill

   3. Beef instead of veal

   4. French bread on the side instead of in the soup

   5. More butter (for the bread)

   6. Using measuring cup instead of spoons

   7. Stainless steel pots, not clay

   8. Not taking out the meat

Potential allergens

Gluten

Dairy

Meat

Steps/Methods:

1. Purchase ingredients

2. Dice the onions

3. Cook the beef in a pan, then add the onions

4. Mix wet ingredients

5. Add wet ingredients, cooked beef, onions, and bacon bits into the pot

6. As it cooks, add a spoonful of butter, salt, pepper, and add flour as needed

7. Once the soup is cooked, serve with slice of French bread

Explains the chosen dish (who made it, where located, and when)

People that made French onion soup in the past were usually poor. Many English households made French onion soup because it was inexpensive. The common onion soup originated in the 19th century and continues to be made today. People of all social classes eat French onion soup now because it is a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy. Since people that ate French onion soup in the 19th century were classified as “poor,” it shows the inequality between the social classes. The “rich” English households thought they were too good for French onion soup while the “poor” ate a wonderful soup that was inexpensive.

Citations (MLA):

“Quickest French Onion Soup Recipe.” Cook the Story, 1 Oct. 2019, cookthestory.com/french-onion-soup/

Rudolph, Mary. “The Project Gutenberg EBook, The Virginia Housewife, by Mary Randolph.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Virginia Housewife, by Mary Randolph, www.gutenberg.org/files/12519/12519-h/12519-h.htm#ONION_SOUP.

Chloe K, Baylee G, Madison H, Alexis McM, and Samantha DeA