Cold Soup

The mention of it brings fond smiles to the faces of those over 50 years of age. “My favorite is Cold Soup,” an elderly man explained without hesitation. “From strawberry time to the end of peach season you can eat it. Tear up bread—homemade or bought—and put fresh fruit over it with milk. “We’d have a big meal at noon, then this was a cool treat about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. When we were in the harvest it was a good thing for the men who were more tired than hungry.” The soup was primarily a hot-weather dish, although one grandmother remembers Cold Banana Soup which could be eaten whenever the fruit man came by. By using bread instead of a shortcake, the cook was saved extra baking. The combination may have evolved also as a way to redeem the drier, homemade bread common at the turn of the century. Sometimes Cold Soup was the main meal of the day. Cooked or fried potatoes were frequently served with it to make the meal more substantial. The cook supplied the ingredients. The persons at the table made their own mixes.