Cooking Tips
Good as a refreshing summer soup.
History Notes
Vichyssoise is thought of as French food, but it’s actually an American creation.
It was invented in New York City in 1917 by a chef named Louis Diat (1885-1957) at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Madison and 46th Streets (now demolished).
Diat, admittedly, was born in Vichy, France, where hot potato and leek soup was a traditional recipe. He added cream to the soup and served it cold at the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s rooftop garden. He called it Crème Vichyssoise Glacée.
There was a movement to rename the soup to Crème Gauloise Glacée during WWII, when the French capitulated and a Nazi government was set up in Vichy, but it didn’t really take hold.
Louis Diat was a regular contributor to Gourmet magazine for many years.
Language Notes
Pronounced “v she swahz”
