November 18 Vichyssoise Day

Today day is November 18 Vichyssoise Day observed every year, cold soup that is loved by many peoples. Louis Diat was the chef at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York City for most of the first half of the 20th century.

Made thick with pureed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream and chicken stock, Vichyssoise is traditionally served cold though sometimes is eaten hot. In 1950, he recounted to The New Yorker magazine the potato and leek soup of his childhood, and how he would cool it off during the summer by pouring in cold milk, which resulted in a delicious summer soup. He decided to make something similar for the patrons of the Ritz.
French chef Jules Gouffé published a similar recipe with potatoes, leeks, chicken stock and cream, in Royal Cookery, in 1869, but did not serve it cold.
In the 1992 movie Batman Returns, Bruce Wayne is surprised at its temperature, saying “It’s cold!” to which his butler, Alfred responds that “It’s supposed to be cold.”
Share on social media using #November18VichyssoiseDay