Carrot soup (referred to in French as potage de Crécy, potage Crécy, potage à la Crécy, purée à la Crécy and crème à la Crécy)[1][2][3][4] is a soup prepared with carrot as a primary ingredient.[5] It can be prepared as a cream- or broth-style soup. Additional vegetables, root vegetables and various other ingredients can be used in its preparation. It may be served hot or cold, and several recipes exist.
Carrot soup can be prepared as a cream-style soup[6][7] and as a broth-style soup.[8][9] Vegetable stock[10] or chicken stock can be used as ingredients in both styles of soup.[11][12] Other vegetables may be used in the dish, including root vegetables, the latter of which may include garlic,[8] onion,[7] shallot,[2] potato,[9][13][14] turnip[15] and others. Carrot juice and orange juice can be used in its preparation,[5][16][17][18] and some versions are prepared using puréed carrot.[14][19] After cooking, the dish can be run through a sieve to strain it.[14][20][21] The carrots used can be peeled or unpeeled, and the use of peeled carrots can lend to increased smoothness in puréed versions of the dish.[19] Those prepared with puréed carrot may have a thick consistency while also being smooth in texture.[22] The soup's color can vary based upon the coloration of the carrots used.[23] Young carrots tend to make the soup sweeter and imbue it with a bright orange coloration, while older, larger carrots provide less sweetness and may imbue a yellow coloration.[2] The use of old, cracked carrots that have a woody texture in their interior can produce a soup of inferior quality.[2]
In the United Kingdom, a distinct soup variety much more popular than plain carrot soup is carrot and coriander soup, made with coarsely chopped or grated carrot, garlic and coriander (cilantro) seeds.[36][37]
The zest of orange can be used as a garnish, as an ingredient within the dish itself, and in both ways.[16][17][30][38] Additional garnishes can include dill, carrot leaves,[7][34] grated, minced or diced carrot,[23]chives,[10][29] other fresh, chopped herbs, croutons, and toast squares,[1][11][14][15][21] among others. Carrot soup can be prepared as a vegan food, and can also be prepared as a bisque.[25]
Carrot soup may contain a significant amount of nitrite.[39]
Carrot soups
Carrot-potato soup with German sausage
A broth-style carrot-papaya soup prepared using julienned carrots
A carrot-ginger soup garnished with green onion and sesame oil
Carrot-potato soup served with rice
In French cuisine
Carrot soup (potage de Crécy, potage Crécy, etc.) has been described as a "classic" and "famous" dish in French cuisine.[1][22][40]Potage is a variety of soups that have a thick consistency.[41][42] Potage Crécy is named after Crécy-en-Ponthieu, a commune in Northern France that has been purported to produce carrots with the best flavor within the country.[43][44]
In French cuisine, Crécy soup is typically prepared with rice, which can also be served as a side dish.[2][21][45][46] Rice may be used as an ingredient to thicken the dish,[47][48] and barley has also been used.[47]
History
Although the modern sweet orange carrot was not developed until the 16th century, in the Low Countries, it has been represented as a tradition, and it was once customary for English people to eat Crécy soup annually on 26 August in commemoration of the anniversary of the Battle of Crécy, which occurred in Crécy, France on that date in 1346.[31][43]
^Worthington, D.R.; Williams, C.; Caruso, M. (2004). Williams-Sonoma Collection: French. Williams Sonoma Collection. Free Press. p. 30. ISBN978-0-7432-4994-2. Potage Crécy: Crécy, a town in northern France that produces some of the country's best carrots, ... Smaller, slender but mature carrots, especially those that have been organically grown, have the best flavor. very large or thick carrots often ...