Quote from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
Twelve Months of Monastery Soups - International Favorites
by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette
Liguori Publications, Liguori, Missouri, 1996. 208 pages
“From antiquity on, soups have always held a very prominent place in the daily fare of monasteries. This is still true today, particularly in French monasteries, where soup is often served twice a day, for the dejeuner (lunch) and, even more appropriately, for the souper, as the evening meal is called in France. The appeal of soup is almost universal; it seems to be almost of a basic instinctual nature . . .
The soups presented here follow the orderly cycle of the twelve months of the year, with emphasis on produce that is fresh and seasonal and thus available during that specific time of year. This repertoire offers a generous selection of soups per month for those who love to cook and eat a variety of soups, and will encourage them to continue expanding their experience in the art of soup making. The soups in this collection range from basic veloutes and consommé to thick and chunky soups, to simple clear broths to creamy soups to more complex potatoes . . . About 75 percent of the recipes are vegetarian and the rest of them can be easily adapted . . .
As we honor and pay tribute to soup, I also wish to encourage my readers to use the art of soup making to bring relief to the poor and the hungry near or around us. In ancient times when monasteries located within the city walls, monks and nuns provided soup and bread to the poor who daily knocked at their doors. Many monasteries still follow this ancient evangelical practice, and this is where the idea of soup kitchens to help the poor originated.” (pp. 1-2)
The soups presented here follow the orderly cycle of the twelve months of the year, with emphasis on produce that is fresh and seasonal and thus available during that specific time of year. This repertoire offers a generous selection of soups per month for those who love to cook and eat a variety of soups, and will encourage them to continue expanding their experience in the art of soup making. The soups in this collection range from basic veloutes and consommé to thick and chunky soups, to simple clear broths to creamy soups to more complex potatoes . . . About 75 percent of the recipes are vegetarian and the rest of them can be easily adapted . . .
As we honor and pay tribute to soup, I also wish to encourage my readers to use the art of soup making to bring relief to the poor and the hungry near or around us. In ancient times when monasteries located within the city walls, monks and nuns provided soup and bread to the poor who daily knocked at their doors. Many monasteries still follow this ancient evangelical practice, and this is where the idea of soup kitchens to help the poor originated.” (pp. 1-2)
-- quote submitted by Matt M.
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