What is wedding soup?

It's interesting:
"It was a stipulation for the wedding that the groomsmen weren't allowed to look better than the Best Man today and I'm pleased to say they have accomplished ..."

Italian Wedding Soup is one of the most classically served Italian dishes in America, next to pizza and spaghetti. Known for its characteristically thin broth, leafy green vegetables and meatballs, the soup is more an American culinary tradition now than an Italian one. The name of the soup is deceiving, however, as it has nothing to do with a wedding party or ceremony.

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1. Italian Wedding Soup

   • Italian wedding soup recipes vary, but it is generally a thin broth-based soup with meat, green vegetables and some type of starch such as rice or pasta. The name Italian wedding soup only appeared after the soup made its way to the United States via Italian immigrants. However, the soup has a history that predates Italy.

   History

   • Historian Donna Gabaccia claims that Italian wedding soup isn't an authentic Italian dish, but rather was introduced into Italy (Naples) via the Spanish. The name given to the soup in Italy is minestra maritata, meaning "married flavors." The name change came only with the English mistranslation of "married" into wedding. The original name simply meant that green vegetables and meat are flavors that marry well in a soup.

   Ingredients

   • The common ingredients in Italian wedding soup include a thin chicken broth base, a leafy green vegetable such as spinach, kale, endive, or escarole, beef or chicken meatballs or sausages, and optional additions of orzo pasta, rice, small noodles or lentils. Onions, parsley and Parmesan cheese are also often added to the meatballs before cooking.

   United States

   • In the United States, Italian wedding soup is most prevalent in northeastern Ohio and in western Pennsylvania. Italian descendants believe the wedding soup gives energy to a newly married couple, symbolically representing a long sustainable wedding. Nearly every Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh serves the soup.

   Weddings

   • As the name of the soup is an error in translation, it unsurprisingly has nothing to do with weddings. The soup was viewed to sustain and nourish the ill and keep the poor and hungry full longer. The soup was traditionally served as a meal in itself with no other course dishes.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: wedding soup, green vegetables, Italian wedding, United States, Italian wedding soup, Italian wedding soup, leafy green