Vichyssoise. Karolina Grabowska / Pixabay.com / 2015 / CC0 1.0
The 18th of November is Vichyssoise Day.
It celebrates that world-famous soup invented right in the heart of New York City.
Vichyssoise is a thick and creamy delicious potato soup that is served chilled. Granted, this doesn’t make it the temperature of soup that people in the northern hemisphere would typically seek out in mid-November, but people in the southern hemisphere or warmer states in the U.S. may certainly appreciate some today!
Have you ever had Vichyssoise before? If you’ve never had it, would you still try it after someone explained to you that it was cold potato soup?
The inventor of Vichyssoise, Louis Diat, later became the in-house chef for Gourmet Magazine.
The soup has never really gone out of popularity with gourmands, but it experienced a resurge in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.
#VichyssoiseDay #NationalVichyssoiseDay
See also: Vichyssoise, Leeks, Potatoes
History
The first print media mention that CooksInfo is aware of for a “Vichyssoise Day” in November dates from 2012 in North Carolina:
“Let’s look at possible attributes reflected by the food honored on my birthday, Nov. 18. It’s National Vichyssoise Day, celebrating the creamy chilled leek-and-onion soup which may or may not actually be French. (some contend it was created in New York). Positives: Smooth and elegant. Negatives: Cold and pasty.” — Moose, Debbie. Crepe Suzette lovers, it’s your day. Raleigh, North Carolina: The News and Observer. Sunday, 6 May 2012. Page 2D, col. 2.
However, CNN covered the day in 2011, one year before this (see Sources below).
Sources
Benefield, Chadwick. It’s National Vichyssoise Day: Would You Eat It? Owensboro, Kentucky: WBKR Radio. 18 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://wbkr.com/its-national-vichyssoise-day-would-you-eat-it-video/
Burke, Joe. National Vichyssoise Day. San Francisco, California: KALW Radio. 18 November 2015. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.kalw.org/2015-11-18/national-vichyssoise-day-kalw-almanac-11-18-2015
November 18: National Vichyssoise Day. Whole Foods Market. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/store/event/november-18-national-vichyssoise-day
Kissell, Joe. National Vichyssoise Day. Interesting things of the day. 18 November 2015. Accessed October 2021 at https://itotd.com/articles/5875/national-vichyssoise-day/.
Strickland, Ashley. Breakfast buffet: National vichyssoise day. CNN. 18 November 2011. Accessed October 2021 at https://cnneatocracy.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/breakfast-buffet-national-vichyssoise-day/