vichyssoise

Vichyssoise soup

Vichyssoise (pronounced /viːʃiːˈswɑːz/) is a thick soup made of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. It is traditionally served cold, but can also be eaten hot. ^[1]

Origin

The culinary origins of vichyssoise is a subject of debate among culinary historians; Julia Child calls it "an American invention^[2], whereas it has been said that "the origin of the soup is questionable in whether it’s genuinely French or an American creation."^[3]

Louis Diat chef of the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, is most often credited with its invention.^[4] In 1950, Diat told New Yorker magazine:

"In the summer of 1917, when I had been at the Ritz seven years, I reflected upon the potato-and-leek soup of my childhood, which my mother and grandmother used to make. I recalled how, during the summer, my older brother and I used to cool it off by pouring in cold milk, and how delicious it was. I resolved to make something of the sort for the patrons of the Ritz.^[5]"

The same article explains that the soup was first titled crème vichyssoise glacée, then, after the restaurant's menu changed from French to English in 1930, cream vichyssoise glacée. Diat named it after Vichy, a town not far from his home town of Montmarault.

Conversely, French chef Jules Gouffé created a recipe for a hot potato and leek soup, publishing a version in Royal Cookery (1869)^[6]; (Diat may have borrowed the concept from an older generation of French chefs and added the innovation of serving it cold). Gouffe's claim appears nebulous, with many sources citing his story as having come from "culinary historians"^[7], "others"^[8][9], and "other food fighters"^[10].

References