Soup - a feel-good dish between the Stone Age and Tiktok

TV tip - Soup - a feel-good dish between the Stone Age and Tiktok

They come from a cube, a can, a jar or fresh from the pot: soups have been prepared all over the world since the Neolithic Age, when people learned to master fire - with almost every conceivable ingredient. Today, they are experiencing a revival on internet platforms such as Tiktok and YouTube. The documentary "Ausgelöffelt - Das Comeback der Suppe" by Constanze Grießler on Tuesday at 10.55 pm on 3sat is dedicated to the exciting history of this primal element of cuisine.

It almost seems as if the Viennese filmmaker ("Less is more") is trying to advertise these dishes, which can be prepared quite simply in a single vessel. And to encourage people who often indulge in fast food to try their hand at cooking again. After all, soups, which remind many people of their own childhood, are generally very healthy. And they are also the perfect leftover meal that you can't go far wrong with. Grießler provides information on the many ways in which soups can be used, and not just at home, by visiting places such as a Buchinger clinic in Geras Abbey (Austria's Waldviertel region), a Vietnamese restaurant and soup buses for the poor in Vienna. Experts also have their say.

Molecular biologist Fritz Treiber, head of the taste laboratory at the University of Graz, is responsible for the scientific part. Treiber explains nutritional values - and points out that it was originally cooks in Europe during the Renaissance who brought the soup from the cities of northern Italy to France, where it was then refined. This is also how the clear bouillon with garnish was created - much appreciated by the nobility at court. At the other end of the social scale, homeless people, not only in the metropolis of Vienna, enjoy hearty soups of all kinds, which Caritas volunteers distribute to them from the bus on the street.

"De goldene Joich" is a classic of kosher cuisine - a chicken soup that Jews traditionally enjoy on the Sabbath and on public holidays. Pho - which simply means soup - has long been a cult dish, and not just in its country of origin, Vietnam. This hearty comfort food with lots of fresh herbs and spices has to simmer for hours to develop its aromas. And then serve gourmets from breakfast to dinner.

The director and participants of a Buchinger cure are convinced that soups are also a great way to lose weight and promote health. Michelin-starred chef Max Stiegl, on the other hand, loves the liquid dish as a veritable cultural asset. For example, he offers Pannonian fish soup, which originally comes from Burgenland, with zander. And since the pandemic, when cooking has become more popular again, internet-savvy young women have been posting their favorite decorative soups in large quantities. To make their followers' mouths water.

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