Onion soup
Onion soup is a great classic of French cuisine. Gratinated or not, it melts in the mouth for the pleasure of our taste buds.
Also called “drunkards soup,” onion soup is a great hangover remedy.
Well, of course, the sweet breath it leaves you afterwards does not help your cause, but at least it masks the unpleasant smell of alcohol!
In fact, onion soup has long been frowned upon.
Consisting of beef jus, broth, onions and bread, it has always been inexpensive.
From Antiquity, the Romans saw it as a dish for the poor, hence its name "the soup of the poor" (they didn't look very far).
This is due to the fact that the onion is easily grown and is therefore very accessible, especially for modest families.
A legend has somewhat restored the image of this soup: it is said that while he slept in his hunting lodge, King Louis XV woke up hungry in the night. He would then have made a soup with the onions, butter and champagne he had at his disposal. But it is difficult to imagine a king preparing his own meal… although it is said of Louis XV that he was a good cook!
But it is thanks to Les Halles in Paris that the onion soup au gratin owes its fame. In the 19th century, restaurateurs came up with the idea of adding grated cheese and placing bowls of soup under the broiler. Prepared this way, the soup was much more nutritious for the workers and night owls of the neighborhood. The dish was then called the “Gratinée des Halles”.
Since then, onion soup au gratin has been emblematic of simple and quick Parisian cuisine.
