Carrot soup (referred to in French as ''potage de Crécy'', ''potage Crécy'', ''potage à la Crécy'', ''purée à la Crécy'' and ''crème à la Crécy'') is a

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...

prepared with

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...

as a primary ingredient. It can be prepared as a cream- or

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

-style soup. Additional vegetables,

root vegetables Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocotyl a ...

and various other ingredients can be used in its preparation. It may be served hot or cold, and several recipes exist. Carrot soup has been described as a "classic" dish in

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

Overview

Carrot soup can be prepared as a cream-style soup and as a

-style soup. Vegetable

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

or chicken stock can be used as ingredients in both styles of soup. Other vegetables may be used in the dish, including

root vegetable Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocotyl a ...

s, the latter of which may include garlic, onion, shallot, potato, turnip and others.

Carrot juice Carrot juice is juice produced from carrots. Overview Carrot juice has a particularly high content of β-carotene, a source of vitamin A, but it is also high in B complex vitamins like folate, and many minerals including calcium, copper, magnesiu ...

and orange juice can be used in its preparation, and some versions are prepared using

purée A purée (or mash) is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., apples ...

d carrot. After cooking, the dish can be run through a

sieve A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. T ...

to strain it. The carrots used can be peeled or unpeeled, and the use of peeled carrots can lend to increased smoothness in puréed versions of the dish. Those prepared with puréed carrot may have a thick consistency while also being smooth in texture. The soup's color can vary based upon the coloration of the carrots used. Young carrots tend to make the soup sweeter and imbue it with a bright orange coloration, while older, larger carrots provide less sweetness and may imbue a yellow coloration. The use of old, cracked carrots that have a woody texture in their interior can produce a soup of inferior quality. Several ingredient variations exist in carrot soup preparations. Some carrot soups are prepared using

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

coconut water Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth continue ...

coconut cream Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

coconut butter Creamed coconut, also known as coconut butter, is a coconut product made from the unsweetened dehydrated fresh pulp of a mature coconut, ground to a semi-solid white creamy paste. It is sold in the form of a hard white block which can be stored at ...

or coconut pieces. Some versions include ginger as an ingredient, and some include

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...

. Green carrot leaves ( greens) from the top of carrots can be used as an ingredient in the dish. Chopped

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAES g ...

leaves are used in some versions. It can be served hot or chilled. Salt and pepper can be used to

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

the dish, and nutmeg is sometimes used as a seasoning. It is sometimes topped with yoghurt, a yoghurt sauce,

crème fraîche Crème fraîche (English pronunciation: , , lit. "fresh cream") is a dairy product, a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5., p. 181''f'' It is soured with a bacterial culture. European labeling regulations ...

, sour cream, and other ingredients. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, a distinct soup variety much more popular than plain carrot soup is carrot and

coriander Coriander (;

soup, made with coarsely chopped or grated carrot,

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

and coriander (cilantro) seeds. The

zest Zest may refer to: Common usage * Zest (ingredient), the outer peel of a citrus fruit ** Zester, a tool for preparing zest ** Twist (cocktail garnish), a piece of zest * Zest (positive psychology), a component of character Brands * Zest (brand ...

of orange can be used as a garnish, as an ingredient within the dish itself, and in both ways. Additional garnishes can include dill, carrot leaves, grated, minced or diced carrot,

chives Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and ...

, other fresh, chopped herbs, croutons, and toast squares, among others. Carrot soup can be prepared as a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

food, and can also be prepared as a bisque. Carrot soup may contain a significant amount of

nitrite The nitrite polyatomic ion, ion has the chemical formula . Nitrite (mostly sodium nitrite) is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name ...

. Möhrensuppe mit Bockwurst-92058.jpg, alt=Carrot-potato soup with German sausage, Carrot-potato soup with German sausage File:CARROT PAPAYA SOUP.jpg, alt=A broth-style carrot-papaya soup prepared using julienned carrots, A

-style carrot-papaya soup prepared using

julienned Julienne, , or french cut, is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Common items to be julienned are carrots for , celery for , potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for . Trimmi ...

carrots File:Carrot Ginger Soup.jpg, alt=A carrot-ginger soup, A carrot-ginger soup File:Carrot soup with Greek yogurt.jpg, alt=Carrot soup with Greek yogurt, Carrot soup with

Greek yogurt Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive so ...

File:Carrot ginger soup with sesame oil garnish.jpg, alt=A carrot-ginger soup garnished with green onion and sesame oil, A carrot-ginger soup garnished with green onion and sesame oil File:Potato-carrot soup with rice.jpg, alt=Carrot-potato soup served with rice, Carrot-potato soup served with rice

In French cuisine

Carrot soup (''potage de Crécy'', ''potage Crécy'', etc.) has been described as a "classic" and "famous" dish in

Potage Pottage or potage (, ; ) is a term for a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and, if available, meat or fish. It was a staple food for many centuries. The word ''pottage'' comes from the same Old French root as ''potage'', whi ...

is a variety of soups that have a thick consistency. Potage Crécy is named after

Crécy-en-Ponthieu Crécy-en-Ponthieu (), known in archaic English as Cressy, is a commune located south of Calais in the northern French department of Somme. It gives its name to Crécy Forest, which starts about two kilometres to the south-west of the town and ...

, a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in Northern France that has been purported to produce carrots with the best flavor within the country. In French cuisine, Crécy soup is typically prepared with rice, which can also be served as a

side dish A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal. Rice may be used as an ingredient to thicken the dish, and

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

has also been used.

History

Although the modern sweet orange carrot was not developed until the 16th century, in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, it has been represented as a tradition, and it was once customary for

English people The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language in England, English language, a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identi ...

to eat Crécy soup annually on 26 August in commemoration of the anniversary of the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...

, which occurred in Crécy, France on that date in 1346. Crécy soup was eaten annually by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

King of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

between 1901 and 1910, on the battle's anniversary day, in honour of his ancestor,

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...

, who led the battle. It has also been suggested that the soup was served to triumphant English soldiers after the battle concluded, using carrots from Crécy.

Ernst Moro Ernst Moro (8 December 1874 in Laibach, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary, today Ljubljana, Slovenia – 1951) was an Austrian physician and pediatrician who was the first in western medicine to describe the infant reflex that was named after h ...

, an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

invented Professor Moro's Carrot Soup, which is shown to be effective against diarrhea caused by

antibiotic-resistant bacteria Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials. All classes of microbes can evolve resistance. Fungi evolve antifungal resistance. Viruses evolve antiviral resistance. ...

.Professor Moro's carrot soup (Article in German)
/ref>

References

External links

Potage Crécy: French for "It's cold outside—you need some creamy carrot soup"
Blue Kitchen.
Why is carrot soup called potage Crecy?

Answers.com Answers.com, formerly known as WikiAnswers, is an Internet-based knowledge exchange. The Answers.com domain name was purchased by entrepreneurs Bill Gross and Henrik Jones at idealab in 1996. The domain name was acquired by NetShepard and subs ...

. {{Soups Vegetable soups Carrot dishes French cuisine Australian soups

Overview

In French cuisine

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links