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III
Appears in
By MFK Fisher
Published 1944
Probably the most satisfying soup in the world for people who are hungry, as well as for those who are tired or worried or cross or in debt or in a moderate amount of pain or in love or in robust health or in any kind of business huggermuggery, is minestrone.
Minestrone, according to some devotees, must of necessity be based on a bean broth. Others say that minestrone started with a puree of dried soaked cooked beans is not minestrone at all, but minestra. Still others say that: 1. It must be seasoned with vegetables that have been glazed with a generous handful of diced ham or bacon. 2. It must never be breathed upon by meat in any form. The same question exists about adding or not adding small cooked pasta like broken spaghetti at the last minute. There are probably other differences, for like all basically pure and honest dishes it has as many interpretations as it has makes.