Gazpacho (Gazpacho)
Overview
Gazpacho is Andalusia's answer to scorching summer afternoons: a chilled, uncooked soup of ripe tomatoes blended with cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar. Day-old bread is traditionally soaked and blended in, giving the soup body and a gently creamy texture without any dairy. The result is closer to a savoury drink than a stew, and in Spain it is often poured into a glass straight from the fridge. Because nothing is cooked, the quality of the tomatoes decides everything, so the best gazpacho is made at the height of the season. Small dice of cucumber, pepper and onion, or crisp croutons, are scattered on top just before serving.
History
Gazpacho comes from Andalusia in southern Spain. Its earliest forms were humble mixtures of stale bread, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and water, pounded in a mortar and eaten by farm workers in the fields to cool down and use up bread. Tomatoes and peppers, which reached Spain from the Americas, were added much later and gave the soup the red colour it is known for today. In the twentieth century it spread from Andalusian homes to restaurants across Spain and around the world.
Main ingredients
Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar. The soup is built on raw vegetable purée and is usually served cold. Diet: vegan; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Tomato soups · Cucumber soups · More soups from Spain
Recipe
Method
- 1
Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber and pepper.
- 25 min
Soak the bread in a little water for 5 minutes and squeeze it out.
- 3
Blend vegetables, bread and garlic until very smooth.
- 4
With the blender running, pour in the olive oil and vinegar; season with salt.
- 5≥ 2 h
Strain if you like it silky, then chill for at least 2 hours and serve very cold.
- ✓
Serve. About 20 min from start to bowl.
Pictures
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
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