“If you mean Darcy,” cried her brother, “he may go to bed, if he chuses, before it begins—but as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as Nicholls has made white soup enough I shall send round my cards.” (Spoken by Mr Bingley as he plans the Netherfield Ball in Volume I, Chapter 11 of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.)
White Soup, considered a delicacy in Regency era Britain, has medieval origins dating back to the 13th century. Throughout the years different versions appeared, some sweet but most were savoury.
By Jane Austen’s time, White Soup had become creamy and rich, known for its smooth, white appearance. The flavour was mild and the long list of ingredients it required made it a high-status, elegant party dish. The exact recipe varied, but a common version included veal or chicken broth that was thickened with cream, almonds, and sometimes rice. It was often garnished with finely chopped herbs, and sometimes small pieces of meat or poultry were added.
The soup was typically served at balls and formal gatherings, or as a first course at grand dinners, and it was enjoyed as a luxurious and elegant dish.
Recipes for the white soup that would have been eaten at Netherfield were published in a few popular cookbooks of the time. Martha Lloyd’s recipe for it includes a mixture of cream, broth, finely ground almonds, and crushed egg yolks. (Martha Lloyd, a friend of the Austen family who lived with them in Southampton and at Chawton, compiled a handwritten book containing recipes and remedies used in the household.)
Martha Lloyd’s White Soup
Make a gravy of any kind of meat, add to it the yolks of four eggs boiled hard and pounded very fine, 2 oz. of sweet almonds pounded, as much cream as will make it a good colour.
This recipe for White Soup can be found at Eat Like Jane Austen With Recipes From Her Sister-In-Law’s Cookbook.
Serves 4 to 6.
8 cups veal or chicken stock
4 ounces vermicelli
4 hard-boiled egg yolks
¼ cup ground almonds
1 cup cream
Bring veal or chicken stock to boil in a large pot over high heat. Break vermicelli into small pieces and add to stock. Boil pasta for 7 minutes or until tender. Remove soup from heat.
Push egg yolks through a sieve using the back of a spoon. Do the same with the ground almonds, discarding any large pieces. Add yolks and almonds to soup.
Slowly stir in cream, then return soup to heat. Cook over medium heat until just warm. Serve immediately.
Recipe copyright Julienne Gehrer. Originally published in Dining With Jane Austen, 2017. Recipe adapted from The Knight Family Cookbook. sourced from Atlas Obscura, 5/11/2023, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/jane-austen-recipes-cookbook
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