Black soup
Encyclopedia
The ancient Sparta
n melas zomos (μέλας ζωμός), or black soup / black broth, was a staple
soup
made of boiled pig
s' legs, blood, salt and vinegar
. It is thought that the vinegar was used as an emulsifier to keep the blood from clotting during the cooking process. The armies of Sparta and Athens mainly ate this. While it was by no means a delicacy, it kept the soldiers alive.
According to legend, a man from Sybaris
, a city in southern Italy infamous for its luxury and gluttony, after tasting the Spartans' black soup said he understood why they were so willing to die. In another story, it is said that Dionysus, the despot of Sicily, for the sake of this bought a slave who had been a Spartan cook, and ordered him to prepared the broth for him, sparing no expense; but when the king tasted it he spat it out in disgust; whereupon the cook said, "Your Majesty, it is necessary to have exercised in the Spartan manner, and to have bathed in the Eurotas, in order to relish this broth."
No recipe for the Spartan black soup has survived, but blood soup
s are still eaten in various countries today, such as Italy
and France
.
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n melas zomos (μέλας ζωμός), or black soup / black broth, was a staple
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
made of boiled pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s' legs, blood, salt and vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
. It is thought that the vinegar was used as an emulsifier to keep the blood from clotting during the cooking process. The armies of Sparta and Athens mainly ate this. While it was by no means a delicacy, it kept the soldiers alive.
According to legend, a man from Sybaris
Sybaris
Sybaris was an ancient city in Magna Graecia on the western shore of the Gulf of Taranto. The wealth of the city during the 6th century BC was so great that the Sybarites became synonymous with pleasure and luxury...
, a city in southern Italy infamous for its luxury and gluttony, after tasting the Spartans' black soup said he understood why they were so willing to die. In another story, it is said that Dionysus, the despot of Sicily, for the sake of this bought a slave who had been a Spartan cook, and ordered him to prepared the broth for him, sparing no expense; but when the king tasted it he spat it out in disgust; whereupon the cook said, "Your Majesty, it is necessary to have exercised in the Spartan manner, and to have bathed in the Eurotas, in order to relish this broth."
No recipe for the Spartan black soup has survived, but blood soup
Blood soup
thumb|200px|Czernina, a blood soup from [[Poland]]Blood soup is any soup that uses blood as a principal ingredient. Examples of blood soups include:* Czernina, or Duck Blood Soup, a Polish soup made of duck blood and clear poultry broth...
s are still eaten in various countries today, such as Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
See also
- Black pudding, a wide variety of sausages containing blood
- Maasai tribesmen also consume cow's blood, sometimes mixed with milk
- SvartsoppaSvartsoppaSvartsoppa is a soup consumed traditionally and mostly in the province of Scania in Southern Sweden. The main ingredient is goose blood...
, Swedish (Scanian) soup made with goose blood - CzerninaCzerninaCzernina is a Polish soup made of duck blood and clear poultry broth. In English it can be called "duck blood soup"....
, Polish soup made with duck blood - DinuguanDinuguanDinuguan Dinuguan Dinuguan (also called dinardaraan in Ilocano, tid-tad in Pampanga, sinugaok in Batangas, rugodugo in Waray, and sampayna or champayna in Northern Mindanao...
, Filipino stew made of pig's blood, pork, chili, and vinegar