French onion soup Totally Explained

French onion soup is an onion and beef broth based soup traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings. Although ancient in origin, this dish underwent a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s due to the growth of French cooking in the United States.

History

Onion soups have been popular at least as far back as Roman times. They were, throughout history, seen as food for the poor people, as onions were plentiful and easy to grow. The modern version of this soup originates in France in the 17^th century, made from dry bread or croutons, beef broth, and caramelized onions. It is often broiled in a ramekin traditionally with gruyère melted on top. The crouton on top is reminiscent of ancient sops (see "Early history" section of soup).
Legend has it that the soup was created by King Louis XV of France. Late one night, he discovered he only had onions, butter and champagne at his hunting lodge, so he mixed them together to create the first French onion soup. Alternate stories attribute the creation to King Louis XIV.

Preparation

The rich flavor of the base isn't due just to the broth, but to the caramelized onions. Caramelization, in this case, is the procedure in which the onions are cooked slowly until the melting sugars approach burning temperature, becoming brown. This can be accomplished within half an hour, but many chefs and cooks allow for hours of cooking to bring out the complex flavors of the onions' sugars. In the final stages of cooking, cognac or sherry is often used to enhance the caramelized onion flavor and to deglaze the pan.
The base is usually topped with the crouton, which will be very dry and crusty to allow it to withstand lying on the soup surface while baked or broiled with a good melting cheese on top. The soup is then served in the bowl or ramekin in which it was broiled or baked.

Variations

Variations of the basic recipe include:

Preparation without cheese for vegans
Using vegetable stock (instead of beef stock) for vegans or vegetarians

External results

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