One of America’s Favorites – Tomato Soup

December 2, 2019 at 6:02 AM | Posted in One of America's Favorites | Leave a comment
Tags: Baking, Condensed Soup, Cooking, Crackers, Cream, Food, Grilled Cheese, Grilling, One of America's Favorites, recipes, Tomato paste, Tomato soup, Tomatoes

Tomato soup with basil

Tomato soup is a soup made with tomatoes as the primary ingredient. It may be served hot or cold in a bowl, and may be made in a variety of ways. It may be smooth in texture, and there are also recipes which include chunks of tomato, cream and chicken or vegetable stock. Popular toppings for tomato soup include sour cream or croutons. In the United States, the soup is frequently served with crackers, which may be crumbled onto the soup by the diner, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Tomato soup is one of the top comfort foods in Poland and the United States. It can be made fresh by blanching tomatoes, removing the skins, then blending them into a puree.

The first published tomato soup is mentioned by Eliza Leslie in 1857 in her final publication New Cookery Book. Joseph A. Campbell’s recipe for condensed tomato soup in 1897 further increased its popularity.

Commercially prepared tomato soup is available in a variety of forms, including canned, condensed and in dehydrated powder form. “Tomato” ranks among the top three flavors of soup produced by the Campbell Soup Company.

The main ingredients for tomato soup are tomato puree and wheat flour.

The cell wall structural importance for the plant’s growth and stability in the ripening process is equally as important to the quality of the tomato products it can produce. The pectin and cellulose are what determine the apparent viscosity of the tomato product. If they are broken at higher temperatures more enzymes are deactivated than if they are broken at lower temperatures.

High-fructose corn syrup is sometimes added to tomato soup to make it sweeter. HFCS is composed of both glucose and fructose in their free monosaccharide from that doesn’t crystallize readily. HFCS is also important in binding water, the monosaccharaides of fructose and glucose have the ability to bind to water in the product. The binding of water helps to reduce microbial growth by removing available water from the product it can also prevent the separation of water in products like sauces and soups.

Wheat flour is composed of six main groups, carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, lipids, minerals and vitamins. Flour is added to tomato soup to increase its viscosity. The starch in the flour acts as a gelling agent and increases the viscosity of the product. When starch granules found in the flour are heated in solution they become less ordered and begin to gel. During this process of gelatinization the crystal like structures of the starch granules disappear and the swelling starts creating a viscoelastic product.

Tomato soup served with a grilled cheese sandwich

Gazpacho is a tomato soup of Spanish origin, served cold. It originates in the region of Andalucía in southern Spain. Gazpacho is widely consumed in Spanish cuisine, as well as in neighboring

Portugal, where it is known as gaspacho. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its refreshing qualities and cold serving temperature. Many variations of gazpacho exist.

Tomato soup is often paired with a grilled cheese sandwich, toast, crumpet or English muffin.