Now, I know that it’s unlikely that anyone has ever gathered the necessary data, but I’m absolutely sure that if I had a Euro for every virgin holidaymaker to Spain who sent back their first bowl of hotel gazpacho soup because it had “gone cold” I would be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. I’m not the first Brit to remark on this, though, for instance the phenomenon of sending back gazpacho soup was famously celebrated a few years ago in an episode of the worldwide BBC comedy hit, Red Dwarf.

Of course, the usual job of soup in the cuisines of Northern Europe is to warm the consumer, but then it is perhaps inaccurate to refer to gazpacho as a soup. By definition a soup is prepared by stewing its components whereas gazpacho is traditionally made in a pestle and mortar from only fresh, uncooked ingredients. In this respect it is more closely allied to Italian pesto, with water added to create a sort of liquid salad designed to cool and refresh; a means of combating the effects of torrid Andalucian summers.

It is a common misconception that the tomato has always been a basic ingredient of gazpacho soup. This is not the case as the origins of the dish predate the arrival of the tomato in Europe by more than a thousand years. Tomatoes are generally accepted to be native to Peru although they were first found under cultivation in the Aztec city of Tenochtitl – now better known as Mexico City – by Cortez and his conquistadores in 1521. The first examples of the fruit to reach Europe were yellow in colour, the Italians naming them pomi d’oro (golden apple). The tomato is a member of the deadly nightshade family and was thought at first to be poisonous, a belief was enhanced when wealthy consumers started to die. In reality, the high lead content of pewter tableware favoured by the well-to-do was reacting with the acid content of the fruit and leeching out into the food! The rise in popularity of the tomato in Spain thus had slow beginnings: well over two centuries would pass before its general acceptance in the national cuisine and inclusion in dishes such as gazpazcho. Today, of course, it is Spain’s major crop.

Gazpacho Soup has ancient origins. Cold soups were an important source of nutrition and a way of hydrating the body. In Roman Hispania, centurions marched with their own supplies of bread, olive oil, salt, garlic, wine vinegar, and often almonds, each producing his own mixture to taste. The Moors further refined the local cuisine with their own recipes and cooking techniques. Use of the almireces, an effective mortar and pestle made from bronze, produced a delicately flavoured cold almond soup still served today and known as ajoblanco. These ingredients were later traditionally held to have been loaded by Christopher Columbus before setting sail on his first voyage.

Today, it is said that there are as many gazpachos as there are pestles and mortars. Typically, it comprises ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, garlic, and bread – ideally about a week old – moistened with water, olive oil, vinegar, and iced water. There are, however, many intraregional variations which may include almonds or utilise vegetables other than peppers and tomatoes.

Try this traditional gazpacho soup recipe:

Ingredients:

∑ 2 slices of stale bread soaked in water and squeezed out
∑ 2 fat cloves of garlic
∑ 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
∑ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
∑ 1 small onion, chopped
∑ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
∑ 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
∑ 1 large red bell pepper
∑ 5 big ripe tomatoes, skinned and seeded
∑ 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
∑ 850ml iced water
∑ pinch cayenne pepper

Method:

1. In a large mortar pound the cumin, soaked bread, garlic, and sea salt
2. Place the contents of the mortar, onion, and olive oil in a food processor and puree
3. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes and process again
4. Chill for at least 12 hours
5. Serve diluted with iced (no ice cubes) water and season to taste with cayenne pepper