Cock-a-leekie soup is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling soli ...

dish consisting of

leek The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of '' Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''All ...

s and

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

ed chicken stock, often thickened with

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

, or sometimes

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley ...

. The original recipe added prunes during cooking, and traditionalists still garnish with a julienne of prunes. While it is called "Scotland's National Soup", it probably originated as a chicken and onion soup in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. By the late 16th century, it had made its way to Scotland, where the onions were replaced with leeks.Ayto, John. An A to Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto. Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2002 The first recipe was printed in 1598, though the name "cock-a-leekie" did not come into use until the 18th century. Traditionally, it is made with broiler fowl. These have very little flesh. Traditionally, the soup will not be loaded with vegetables nor thickeners. It would range from a clear stock to a green leek stock, with little flesh. The rich, chicken, vegetable and thickener versions seen today are produced largely because original cock a leekie is delicate, refreshing and difficult to make delicious. It is not the appetizing meal suggested by the modern version which is closer to chicken soup or stew. Cock a leekie soup, like a chicken and leek consome with a little flesh, and pieces of leek, is a traditional soup course at Burns’ Suppers. There are

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat ( red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetaria ...

versions of this soup. The vegetarian version has leeks and may include mixed vegetables, chicken flavoured meat substitute and/or prunes.

History

The first known mention of this soup is from the ''Orchtertyre House Book'' (1737), an accounts book that recorded a dinner of 'cockie leekie fowlls in it'". The earliest recipe is from the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

era cookbook writer

Isabella Beeton Isabella Mary Beeton ( Mayson; 14 March 1836 – 6 February 1865), known as Mrs Beeton, was an English journalist, editor and writer. Her name is particularly associated with her first book, the 1861 work '' Mrs Beeton's Book of Household ...

, and is thickened with "the fine part of

oatmeal Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains ( groats) that have either been milled (ground) or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats ...

". Christian Isobel Johnstone (Meg Dods) said the soup "must be very thick of leeks and the first part of them must be boiled down into the soup until it becomes a lubricious compound".

References

Scottish soups Chicken dishes Chicken soups Leek dishes {{Soup-stub

History

See also

References