Traditional American Sweet Potato Soup with Croutons
Welcome to day 2 of our American vegan cuisine week! We are so delighted to make this journey with you! Today: A very simple, but super fine soup, that is traditional in Southern US households. Sweet potato soup draws from the broader culinary traditions of the American South, where sweet potatoes are a staple ingredient.
- Southern U.S. Cuisine: Sweet potatoes have long been a key crop in the Southern United States due to the region’s warm climate, which is ideal for growing them. As a result, many dishes featuring sweet potatoes, including soups, are rooted in Southern cooking.
- Indigenous and African Influence: The use of sweet potatoes in soups and other dishes also reflects the influence of Indigenous American cuisine, as well as African culinary traditions brought by enslaved people. Both groups used similar root vegetables in their cooking, and these influences merged over time in Southern food culture.
Typical Ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes: The main ingredient, providing a naturally sweet and rich base.
- Spices and fresh herbs: Often includes warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and sometimes ginger, and fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro.
- Broth: A vegetable or chicken broth base is common.
Variations:
While sweet potato soup can be found throughout the United States, its flavor profile and preparation methods may vary, reflecting local tastes or seasonal ingredients. For example, in the Southern U.S., you might find it made with a touch of smoked ham for added depth, while in other regions, it might be purely vegetarian or even vegan.
So we stay with the purely vegan version 🙂
And this one is almost too easy to be believed to be a dish! See yourself …
Traditional American Sweet Potato Soup with Croutons
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender or other soup blending device
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potatos, cut into small cubes
- 1,5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp vegetable broth powder or cubes
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
For the croutons
- 3 handfuls old white bread, cut into small cubes
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Brown the sweet potatos in the oil for approximately 5 minutes, stirring regularily.
- Fill up with water till the potatos are well covered. Add the broth powder and cook until the potatos are tender.Note: You will probably need to add some more water during cooking process, please check from time to time! It should not be to liquid after blending, so keep an eye on the liquid-potato balance.
- In the meantime, fry the bread cubes in the oil until golden brown on all sides.
- Reduce the heat to minimum, add the soy sauce, stir.
- Once the potatos are tender, take the pot off the heat, add the parsley and puree the soup with the immersion blender (if you are using another blending device with a blender cup, let the soup first cool down almost completely, otherwise you might cause some cracks in the cup!).Add some liquid if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
- You might want to reheat the soup. Serve the soup with the croutons aside (not mixed in the soup as they get mushy quickly… 😉 ).