Gazpacho is one of the star dishes of our gastronomy. An emblematic recipe known all over the world. Simple, economical, quick and, above all, very nutritious and healthy, it is a very complete dish that has it all. Typical of Andalusia, it has acquired with the passage of time a worldwide fame. And, in summer, it becomes an essential dish to pass the heat. Moreover, gazpacho, being such a humble dish, has centuries of history. More than we could imagine. Therefore, today we want to know this great cold soup more in depth, discovering the history and origin of Gazpacho. Will you join us?
Although I’m sure you all know it, let’s first see what is in this wonderful dish. As we were saying, it is a cold soup made with vegetables, which can be thicker or thinner, depending on the taste of each one. It is made in summer, both for lunch and for dinner or simply to drink at any time. It is a very nutritious and healthy dish. Gazpacho is made with tomato as a base; and in addition, it also contains green bell pepper, cucumber, onion or spring onion, garlic, oil, vinegar and salt. In some houses it is also very common to add some bread from the previous day. But as we said, this is a matter of taste.
It is also a very versatile dish. And thanks to the fame that has been acquiring with the passage of time, every time we find more and more different types of gazpacho. We can substitute the tomato for any other vegetable, or even for fruits. If you want to see some options, in addition to the original recipe, to read its history with a good glass of gazpacho, do not miss Strawberry Gazpacho recipe.
Origin and History of Gazpacho
Although it is an icon of the Mediterranean diet, and is very popular in Spanish cuisine, its origin is in Andalusia, that is why it is known as Gazpacho Andaluz.
But, to get to gazpacho, as we know it today, we have to go back centuries, even before Andalusia received this name. As early as the first century B.C. there are references to what is considered to be the original gazpacho. And it consisted of nothing more than a majao of crumbled bread, olive oil and vinegar. A mixture consumed by the peasants of the south of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries. And which has derived in a multitude of versions and different dishes depending on the area. Among others, salmorejo and ajo blanco.
In the past, Gazpacho was the name given to any soup made with a base of bread, oil and vinegar, among other ingredients.
But, returning to the Gazpacho Andaluz. Until the 16th century it would not have its most characteristic ingredients. As the tomato and the bell pepper. Since this ingredient did not arrive in Spain until the discovery of America.
It was also the Andalusian peasants who included it in the recipe. Years later, when the cultivation of these new vegetables was normalized.
The objective was to make the leftover bread from previous days edible. To do this, they mixed the bread with oil and vinegar. And with their own hands, they squeezed it well until it was soft. To this mixture they added the different vegetables that are used today, such as tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, onion…
Other ways in which Gazpacho has evolved
If we remember that gazpacho is any preparation based on a majao of crumbled bread, oil, vinegar and, normally, garlic; we find many variants of this dish. Or many other recipes that share its origin. Dishes that share origin but, with the passage of time, have become more distant from each other.
Let’s see some of the most characteristic dishes that share origin with Gazpacho.
The first on the list could not be other than Salmorejo, which is also made with tomatoes, but without adding the rest of the vegetables included in the Andalusian gazpacho. In salmorejo, bread is not optional. It consists of a cold tomato soup but with a slightly thicker texture than gazpacho. And as an accompaniment, fried bread croutons, ham and boiled egg are usually served.
Ajoblanco, also typical of Andalusian and Extremaduran cuisine. It consists of a cold soup based on almonds, garlic and bread. An elaboration also of very humble origin, but that has a spectacular result.
Porra Antequerana, also known as cold porra. It is another typical Andalusian preparation, and consists of a soup of tomatoes, bread, red bell pepper, garlic, oil and white wine. As you can see, nowadays it is more similar to Salmorejo than to Gazpacho. But the origin of both dishes is still a majao of oil, bread and garlic.
The Rin Rán Extremeño or Pipirrana, a gazpacho without crushing
From the old Gazpacho where the ingredients were roughly mashed with the hands, or even cut into large pieces, also derives the Rin Rán Extremeño (which has nothing to do with the Rin Rán de bacalao), better known as Pipirrana. This refreshing dish uses the same ingredients as gazpacho, but cut into very small cubes. They are not crushed.
Then, they are seasoned with a majao of garlic, cumin and oil, and served with cold water. The result is a delicious, refreshing and very healthy soup.
The bread is added in pieces that are dipped in the water, like sopones.
And, from the cold dishes most similar to the Andalusian gazpacho, we move on to dishes that, at first sight, have nothing to do with its origin.
However, they have also derived from the first gazpacho that only included bread and oil.
We are talking about Gazpacho Manchego, which shares the origin of gazpacho in the majao of oil, garlic and salt, although it has nothing to do nowadays with the recipe of Gazpacho Andaluz, as we mentioned before. While this is a light dish, which is taken cold, and made from vegetables, Gazpacho Manchego is prepared hot, and consists of a stew with game meat on which the gazpacho cakes, better known as tortas cenceñas, are crumbled.
The result is a hearty dish, which should be eaten very hot. Perfect for winter days, and, also, with a very humble origin, since it was elaborated with any type of meat that could have been hunted.
The history of Gazpacho goes around the world.
But with such a simple and ancient base, this type of elaborations have not remained exclusively in our country. Well, in many other places, we find similar recipes or that are based on our Gazpacho.
Thus, in one of the neighboring countries, Italy, we find the Caponata Siciliana. A dish that also shares origin with our gazpacho, although the result currently far away both dishes. It consists of a stew made with tomatoes and eggplants.
In the United States we also find gazpachos as tomato soups that can include anything from shrimp to lobster meat.
In Peru we find the one known as Sopa de Chicha Morada, elaborated with Chicha Morada, worth the redundancy. This is a drink widely consumed there, made from a kind of purple corn typical of the area.
And you, did you know the ancient origin of Gazpacho? If you liked its history, remember to leave us your comments, ideas, opinions… We love to read you! And don’t forget to follow us on social networks to keep up to date with all our publications. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
