French Onion Soup

 East or West.

Where lies the acquired taste?

 

Soups are always exotic, and their fumes emit a nostalgic colonial English aura for people living in small towns in India. Even though, in recent years, ready-to-slurp soup sachets have flooded the markets, middle-class homemakers have placed them along with their spice boxes without any hesitation. Yet, a hot cup of soup still transports Indians to the cloudy, hilly terrains of the far-off European countryside.   

In traditional English cuisine, carrots, peas, mushrooms, leeks, chicken, or beef broths seasoned with condiments are cooked in low flames for hours under the strict supervision of the chef. The broth gets cooked till it thickens to get the perfect consistency of soup and served with dollops of heavy cream. It is an ideal appetizer and cosy delicacy to make the chilly evenings comfortable. Soups have always been part and parcel of English supper, and people instinctively like the dish.

When elderly English people are served their favourite Onion soup with a French twist, their eyebrows are raised or twitched. Some dig in out of curiosity but mostly decline to taste something foreign. Although the soup's main ingredients are beef broth and caramelized onion, Cognac, Bay leaves, and a handful of cheese make it very French to the English taste buds. The traditional English world is content with its soups, savouries, and sweets. Although their forefathers explored the world and acquired the taste of global cuisines.