Minestrone soup has a really rich history. It is known in Italy as "cucina povera" or literally poor mans soup, a peasant soup. It shows up in cook books as far back as 30 AD. However, at its beginnings, minestrone sometimes had a bean base, mashed beans and water, or spelt base, water and flour. The ingredients were pooled from ingredients for other dishes, often side dishes or "contorni" plus whatever was left over from meals.
Meat stock was not a staple in this poor man's dish nor were there tomatoes in Rome at that time. ** Tomatoes and potatoes were not introduced in Italy, from the Americas, until the mid 1600's and this introduction changed the composition of the soup and made it as we know it today.
The name Minestrone was not attached to the soup until the late 1300's. (From Wikipedia...The word minestrone has its root in the Latin word "minus" or minor or less, which was applied to servants, as they were considered subordinates. Hence, the word "minestrone" originates from the Latin word "minestrare" or literally "that which is served,". The verb is from circa 1300, originally "to serve (food or drink)" and shares the same root as the verb and noun "minister".)
.... Food for thought... wow no tomatoes in Italy until the mid 1600's! hmmm
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