National Soup Month

January is National Soup Month, so let’s look at some fun facts about this warm and hearty food that we all enjoy during our cold weather:
• Some of the oldest evidence of soup was found in an archaeological dig in modern-day Iraq. They estimate the soup was made in 6,000 B.C., and the main ingredient was meat from a hippopotamus.
• They estimate that Americans consume more than 10 billion bowls of soup per year.
• Dr. John T. Dorrance, a chemist with the Campbell Soup Company, invented condensed soup in 1897.
• Hippocrates, considered by many to be the father of medicine, recommended chicken soup for respiratory illnesses.
• Pho is a Vietnamese soup that features a flavorful broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. It is a popular street food in Vietnam.
• The world’s largest bowl of soup was made on July 20, 2024, in Turkey. 45 chefs prepared the soup and it was completely distributed on that day.
• Chicken noodle soup is the most popular soup in America.
• In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups.
• When soups go through the canning process, nutrients are locked in so the amount of vitamins and nutrients are still the same when you open the can a year later.
• Soups may be a good weight management tool because they can help reduce your caloric intake.
• Menudo is a Mexican soup made with tripe (cow stomach) and hominy. Some use it as a cure for a hangover.
• Bird Nest Soup is made from the nests of swiftlets. It is a luxury item and the nests sell for about $4,300 a pound. Want a bird nest for dinner? I think I’ll pass on that!