Ham and Black Bean Soup

Our word soup comes from French soup, which derived from Vulgar Latin suppa, from the post classical Latin verb suppare, to soak. This indicated bread soaked in broth, or a liquid poured onto a piece of bread. 

In Germanic languages, the word sop referred to a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew. The word entered the English language in the seventeenth century exactly as that, soup pored over “sops” of bread or toast, which evolved into croutons. Prior to then, soups were called broth or pottage. The bread or toast served as an alternative to using a spoon.

While the rich enjoyed elaborate soups, basic soup was a poor man’s dinner. Until recent times, the evening meal was the lighter of the two meals of the day, a soup or sop would be a typical evening dish. The name of the meal evolved to souper, than supper.

It began to be fashionable to serve the liquid broth without the sop (bread), and in the early eighteenth century, soup became a first course.

Research Source: The Nibble

Give them a bowl of soup! Soup will soothe your soul and fill your tummy.

Ham and Black Bean Soup

Recipe by Christine Lamb (Christine’s Pantry), 2015

Ingredients:

1 leftover ham bone

1 white or yellow onion, chopped

1 (15 oz. can) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz. can) corn, drained

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 cup diced cooked ham

salt and pepper, to taste

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:

In a dutch oven, combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, until potatoes are tender. Remove ham bone and bay leaves and discard. Serve and enjoy!