Cream of mushroom soup is a simple type of
soup
Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...
where a basic
roux
Roux () is a mixture of flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces. Roux is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight. The flour is added to the melted fat or Cooking oil, oil on the stove top, blended until smoo ...
is thinned with
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
or
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
and then
mushrooms
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
or mushroom
broth
Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...
are added.
In North America, it is a common
canned condensed soup. Cream of mushroom soup is often used as a base ingredient in
casserole
A casserole (French language, French: diminutive of , from Provençal dialect, Provençal , meaning 'saucepan') is a kind of large, deep cookware and bakeware, pan or bowl used for cooking a variety of dishes in the oven; it is also a categor ...
s and
comfort food
Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...
s. This use is similar to that of a mushroom-flavored
gravy
Gravy is a sauce made from the juices of meats and vegetables that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a mix of salt and caramel food ...
.
History
Soups made with cream and mushrooms have been made for many hundreds of years, based on
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
(
béchamel) cream sauces. In America, the
Campbell Soup Company
The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbe ...
began producing its canned Cream of Mushroom Soup in 1934.
Home cooks had already been using canned soup as a casserole or sauce base, and Campbell's started publishing its own recipes based on it in 1941.
Regional usage
Canned cream of mushroom soup has been described as "America's
béchamel". In
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, the ingredient is often called "
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
binder," in reference to its thickening properties
and its prominence in
hotdish
A hotdish (or hot dish) is a casserole that typically contains a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable mixed with canned soup. The dish originates in the Upper Midwest region of the United States, where it remains popular, particul ...
recipes, especially in Lutheran church cookbooks.
See also
*
Bisque (food)
Bisque () is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth ( coulis) of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crawfish. The French bisque is one of the most pop ...
*
Clam chowder
Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ...
*
Green bean casserole
Green bean casserole is an American baked dish consisting primarily of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions. It was popularized in the USA from a recipe printed on a soup can starting in the 1950s.
It is a popular side ...
*
List of mushroom dishes
This is a list of notable mushroom dishes and foods, comprising foodstuffs prepared using mushrooms as a primary ingredient.
Edible mushrooms have variety of benefits when consumed. They have essential nutrients we need for a healthy life, includ ...
*
List of cream soups
*
Oyster stew
Oyster stew is a stew made with oysters. It is popular in the United States and in The Gambia.
In New England cuisine, oyster stew is often associated with Thanksgiving. In Southern United States cuisine, oyster stew is often prepared on Christ ...
*
List of soups
This is a list of notable soups. Soups have been made since ancient times.
Some soups are served with large chunks of meat or vegetables left in the liquid, while others are served as a broth. A broth is a flavored liquid usually derived from ...
*
Tuna casserole
Tuna casserole or tuna mornay is a casserole primarily made with pasta or rice and canned tuna. It is eaten in North America, Italy, Australia, Japan and Finland, and presumably elsewhere.
In North America
In North America, egg noodles are a p ...
*
Vegetable soup
Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables (including leaf vegetables, and sometimes loosely mushrooms) as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and in modern times is also a mass-produced food product.
Overview
Vege ...
*
List of vegetable soups
This is a list of vegetable soups. Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients.
Vegetable soups
* Atama soup – a vegetable and palm nut soup that originates in South Nigeria.
*
* ...
*
Mushroom sauce
Mushroom sauce is a white or brown sauce prepared using mushrooms as its primary ingredient. It can be prepared in different styles using various ingredients, and is used to top a variety of foods.
Overview
In cooking, mushroom sauce is sauce w ...
References
External links
(Mushroom) Cream Soup Substitute recipe (using dried bullion)Cream of Portabella Mushroom Soup
{{Soups
Cream soups
Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
Mushroom dishes