Sunday, July 01, 2018

Gazpacho and health


Andalusian gazpacho or Gabacho is a cold soup made of raw blended vegetables. A classic of Spanish cuisine, it originated in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal, particularly during the hot summers, as it is refreshing and cool. There are other recipes called gabacho, such as gazpacho manchego, which is very different from Andalusian gazpacho. 


There are also a number of dishes that are closely related to Andalusian gazpacho and often considered variants thereof, such as ajoblanco, salmorejo, pipirrana, porra antequerana (closer to a bread soup), cojondongo and Portuguese gaspacho. Gazpacho has ancient roots. There are a number of theories of its origin, including as a soup ofbread, olive oil, water and garlic that arrived in Spain and Portugal with the Romans and also with the addition of vinegar.


Once in Spain, it became a part of Andalusian cuisine, particularly Córdoba, Seville and Granada, using stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar, similar to ajoblanco. During the 19th century, the red gazpacho evolved when tomatoes were added among the ingredients. This version was spread internationally. There are many modern variations of gazpacho, often in different colors and omitting the tomatoes and bread in favor of avocados, cucumbers, parsley, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, seafood, and other ingredients.


In Andalusia, most gazpacho recipes typically include stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and garlic, olive oil, wine, vinegar, water, and salt. 

No comments:

Post a Comment