Menu: Genovese-Style Vegetable Soup, Bread

            Now its’s time to consider healthy food and fresh summer vegetables. This soup and those like it are frequently enjoyed by the residents of Lombardy while vacationing on the Ligurian Coast. Loaded with potatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, tomatoes, and several other vegetables, it contains no meat, meat broth, butter, or cheese. It’s just vegetables, water, salt, and olive oil, designed to be eaten with bread. These two foods, bread or some other starch and soup, are some of the most ancient and traditional dishes in numerous cultures across the globe. The reason for this is fairly simple. Since the rise of agriculture, most humans’ diet has been starch-based. Furthermore, cooking other foods in pottery or later metal vessels made sure all their calories and most of their nutrients went into the broth that would be consumed, rather than dripping into the embers and being wasted. Plus, soup can be made of pretty much anything available.

            In the case of Liguria, this has historically been lots of vegetables, herbs, and olive oil. The mild maritime climate allows vegetables to grow for a large part of the year and lets olive trees flourish north of where they ordinarily could (Liguria is north of Tuscany, their typical northern limit). Meanwhile the narrow coastal plain limits how much space can be dedicated to raising livestock. Hence, fish, vegetables, and olive oil have historically been more common than meat and butter and are still essential elements in the local cuisine. 

            The soup is really good, just make sure to add adequate salt. Since all the vegetables are fresh or, if necessary, frozen rather than canned and no broth is used, the only salt is whatever the cook adds. I thought I added plenty, but upon tasting the broth I thought it to be almost flavorless. Adding more salt changed my perspective entirely. It didn’t make the soup taste like salt, rather it brought out the vegetable flavors in the broth. While it is even better with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and might benefit from a bit of vegetable soup base/bouillon, overall this recipe can be thought of as a tasty vegetarian minestrone.