Q 01/05

The word 'soup' comes from a root meaning what?

A) Boiling

B) Stirring

C) Soaking

D) Warming

Answer · why

C) Soaking

The same root gives English 'sup' and 'supper'. Originally the word described bread soaked in liquid rather than the liquid itself.

Q 02/05

In Old French, what did 'soupe' originally mean?

A) A metal cooking pot

B) Bread soaked in liquid

C) A midday meal

D) A wooden spoon

Answer · why

B) Bread soaked in liquid

Broth poured over bread was the whole dish. French onion soup with its raft of baguette is a direct survivor.

Q 03/05

How did Escoffier divide soups?

A) Into clear and thick

B) Into hot and cold

C) Into meat and vegetable

D) Into French and foreign

Answer · why

A) Into clear and thick

Consommés fall on one side; purées, veloutés and creams on the other. The scheme still underpins professional kitchens.

Q 04/05

Which American company introduced condensed canned soup in 1897?

A) Knorr

B) Heinz

C) Del Monte

D) Campbell's

Answer · why

D) Campbell's

Removing half the water doubled the volume once the customer added it back. The idea reshaped the American store cupboard.

Q 05/05

Who worked out how to condense soup commercially in 1897?

A) Joseph Campbell

B) Abraham Anderson

C) John T. Dorrance

D) Henry Heinz

Answer · why

C) John T. Dorrance

He was a chemist with degrees from MIT and Göttingen. He halved the heaviest ingredient in the can: water.