Gazpacho is originally a Roman soup and before the arrival of tomatoes to Meditteranean cuisine in the sixteenth century, Gazpacho consisted of bread soaked in water pounded together with garlic, salt, olive oil and vinegar.
Varieties of this soup have long been prepared in Spain, especially in the Southern province near to Morocco and North Africa.
Though modern Gazpacho recipes do vary according to the cooks, today nearly always the soup is based around the ingredients of fresh tomato, soaked bread, cucumber, a local variety of green capsicum, garlic, onion, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Gazpacho soup doesn't always end up the same colour either. Depending on the region, and the proportion of the ingredients the soup can be a beautiful and rich green, pink or white.
Traditionally this soup was pounded in a mortar and pestle, however blending the ingredients with a hand held blender is quick and easy and the outcome is still delicious.
Gazpacho soup is thought to be an ideal food tonic to consume in the height of the summer to re-hydrate the body and invigorate the senses.
As the soup is made from raw ingredients with no cooking whatsoever, it is, to adopt the Chinese medical term, full of ‘Qi' - freshness and life.
In Spanish tapas bars you can enjoy a cold fresh glass of Gazpacho while maybe munching on some olives or octopus salad. Many Spanish people believe it is a great way to regain some energy after a long hot afternoon!
Amongst the people in Andalusia exists a great love for this unique beverage and many will swear it is nutrient, vitamin rich and very good for the health. It is known for its high vitamins C content as well as containing anti-oxidents and anti- inflammatory properties.
A seasoned Gazpacho lover from Granada told me, "When I was a child there was always a large jug of Gazpacho in the fridge, my mother used to make it fresh all through the summer.”
Whether you are in a Tapas bar or not, summer is the perfect time for the body to consume Gazpacho. Eating appropriately for your body and season is one of the fundamental principles in the Chinese Medicine approach to eating well. This knowledge has been known to Chinese medical practitioners for thousands of years, but is also a kind of common sense we all possess that is easily forgotten when everything is available to us anytime on the supermarket shelves.
The basic principals are: When it is hot, eat cooling foods. When it is cold, eat warming foods.
Consistently eating raw and cold natured foods through winter can weaken the digestive system. Your body is working to conserve heat in this time. However in the middle of summer, when you are overheating, sweating and losing fluid the idea is to regain energy, cool down and re-hydrate.
The tomato is known within the framework of the traditional Chinese Medicine diet principles as a cooling vegetable. Foods with a cooling nature are used in Chinese medicine to combat the effects of heat symptoms. Some of these symptoms include sweating, sore throat, thirst, red face, headache, skin outbreaks and anxiety.
Another ingredient is the cucumber, also a cooling vegetable that can reduce heat signs in the body. The cucumbers high water content makes it naturally hydrating. Both the cucumber and tomato are also known to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Gazpacho Recipe
Ingredients
3 or 4 slices of week old bread soaked in water
8 -10 ripe tomatoes (choose organic tomatoes if possible that have a deep red colour)
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 normal or 2 small green capsicums
1 cucumber
7 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon of water
Good quality salt
All the ingredients may be combined and blended with an electronic blender as a simple way to prepare Gazpacho.
If you have time and own one, use a big mortar and pestle and mash the salt, the garlic and the soaked bread, slowly mix the onion finely chopped, the tomato, peeled and chopped, the oil, the vinegar, mash together and add water to find a good liquidy consistency.
You can either strain the soup or keep it with a thicker texture. Keep it in the fridge until served, it should be chilled but not too cold. The soup can be garnished with a variety of things such as hard-boiled eggs, chopped almonds and parsley or cumin crushed with mint. All the ingredients may be adjusted to suit your taste.