''Acquacotta'' (; ) is a hot broth-based
bread soup
Bread soup is a simple soup that mainly consists of bread, usually staling, stale bread. Variations exist in many countries, and it is often eaten during Lent. Both brown bread, brown and white bread may be used.
The basis for bread soup is tra ...
in
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...
that was originally a
peasant food
Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients.
In many historical periods, peasant foods have been stigmatized.
Common types
Meat-and-grain sausages or mushes
Ground meat or meat scraps mixed w ...
. Its preparation and consumption dates back to ancient history, and it originated in the coastal area known as the
Maremma
The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto.
The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...
, in southern
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
and northern
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
. The dish was invented in part as a means to make hardened, stale bread edible. In contemporary times, ingredients can vary, and additional ingredients are sometimes used. Variations of the dish include ''acquacotta con funghi'' and ''acquacotta con peperoni''.
History
''Acquacotta'' is a simple traditional dish originating in Maremma,
a coastal region of Italy which spans the southern half of Tuscany's coast and runs into northern
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
.
The word means 'cooked water' in the
Italian language
Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...
.
It was originally a peasant food, and has been described as an ancient dish, the recipe of which was derived in part by people who lived in the Tuscan forest working as colliers (
charcoal burner
A charcoal burner is someone whose occupation is to manufacture charcoal. Traditionally this is achieved by carbonising wood in a charcoal pile or kiln. Charcoal burning is one of the oldest human crafts.
History and technique
Medieval charc ...
s), who were typically very poor, being "traditionally among the poorest of people".
It was also prepared and consumed by farmers and shepherds in the Maremma area.
Historically, the soup was sometimes served as an
antipasto
An antipasto (From anti- (“prior to, before”) + pasto (“meal”); : antipasti) is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Usually made of bite-size small portions and presented on a platter from which everyone serves them ...
dish,
the first course in an Italian meal. It remains a popular dish in Maremma and throughout Italy.
''Acquacotta'' was invented in part as a means to make stale, hardened bread edible.
People that worked away from home for significant periods of time, such as woodcutters and shepherds, would bring bread and other foods with them (such as
pancetta
Pancetta () is a Salting (food)#Meat, salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as ''Salumi, salume''. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pasta. (in Italian).
Uses
For cooking, pancetta is often cut into cubes ( ...
and
salt cod
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export o ...
) to hold them over.
''Acquacotta'' was prepared and used to marinate the stale bread, thus softening it.
A legend about ''acquacotta'' exists in relation to the concept of
Stone Soup
Stone Soup is a European Folklore, folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal. In varying traditions, the stone has been replaced with other common inedib ...
, which is generally based upon a premise of a poor traveler who arrived at a village having only a stone, but convinced the villagers to add ingredients to his stone soup, creating ''acquacotta'';
variations of the legend exist.
Ingredients
Historically, ''acquacotta''
's primary ingredients were water, stale bread, onion, tomato and olive oil,
along with various vegetables and leftover foods that may have been available.
In the earlier 1800s, some preparations used ''
agresto'', a juice derived from half-ripened grapes, in place of tomatoes,
which were not a common food in Italy prior to "the latter decades of the nineteenth century".
In contemporary times
Contemporary preparations of ''acquacotta'' may use stale, fresh, or toasted bread,
and can include additional ingredients such as
vegetable broth, eggs, cheeses such as
Parmesan
Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...
and ''
pecorino toscano
''Pecorino toscano'' () is a firm sheep milk cheese from Tuscany. Since 1996 it has enjoyed protected designation of origin (PDO) status.
History
Pliny the Elder, in his major encyclopaedic work ''Naturalis Historia'', describes several stage ...
'', celery, garlic, basil, beans such as
cannellini beans, cabbage, kale, lemon juice, salt, pepper, potatoes and others.
Some versions may use edible mushrooms such as porcini,
wild herbs, and leaf vegetables and greens such as arugula, endive, mint, chard,
chicory
Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia.
M ...
, dandelion greens, watercress,
valerian and others.
As the greens boil down, they contribute to the broth's flavor.
The dish may be topped with a poached egg.
Contemporary versions may be prepared in advance from a few hours to a day, stored in a cold place or refrigerated, and then reheated prior to serving.
It can also be preserved by freezing.
Variations
''Acquacotta con funghi'' is an ''acquacotta'' soup variation that uses
porcini
''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus '' Boletus''. It is prized as an edible mushroom.
The fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies above ground in summer a ...
mushrooms as a primary ingredient.
Additional ingredients include bread, stock or water, tomato ''conserva'', Parmesan cheese, eggs, ''
mentuccia'', wild mint, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
This variation's flavor and aroma has been described as based upon the porcini mushrooms that are used;
parsley may also be used.
''Acquacotta con peperoni'' is an ''acquacotta'' soup variation that includes celery, red pepper and garlic.
See also
*
List of Italian soups
This is a list of notable Italian soups. Soups are sometimes served as the ( first course) in Italian cuisine. In some regions of Italy, such as Veneto, soup is eaten more than pasta.
Italian soups
* – originally a peasant food, its pre ...
*
Bread soup
Bread soup is a simple soup that mainly consists of bread, usually staling, stale bread. Variations exist in many countries, and it is often eaten during Lent. Both brown bread, brown and white bread may be used.
The basis for bread soup is tra ...
Notes
References
External links
Acquacotta BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
.
Acquacotta James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...
.
{{Soups
Ancient dishes
Bread soups
Italian soups
Peasant food