[Sca-cooks] Serving Soups

[Elaine Koogler]

Michael Gunter wrote:

> Sorry I got onto this a bit late. I haven't had much chance to
> check email lately.
>
> I think the discussion on period feasts is pretty much done so
> I won't go into that. And there have been some wonderful
> soup recipes provided. I agree that bread bowls would be a
> bad idea for the onion soup. Even if they have been toasted
> there will be too much chance of leakage. Bread bowls are
> better used for thick stews or pastas or such.
>
> One thing I do wish to discuss is serving soup at feast. I tend
> to not serve soups simply because the logistics of serving them
> is such a bitch. If it's a sit-down feast then you have to worry
> about servers carrying around a huge vat of soup along very
> narrow aisles and serving it to the patrons. Even if it's the
> "cafeteria line" style where people line up at a table and get
> their own it has difficulties and usually much spillage.
>
> The best way I've seen soup served at a feast is with the servers
> carrying pitchers of the soup and either pouring it into bowls or
> using ladles. This is by far the safest and most convenient way.
> But only if you have access to several gallon or so sized pitchers
> and they don't get too hot.
>
> Just a thought about a rather simple thing that can be a big problem
> late in the feast.
>
> Yers,
>
> Gunthar
>
What we usually do is to use a roll-around cart or two with the soup in 
that.  For high table, we try to find/use a tureen to carry to the 
table.  We find that this works pretty well.  If the site doesn't have a 
roll-around cart (rare),  then we often have servers bring the bowls 
from each table to the serving window or table and carry them back on trays.

Kiri