Sweet, savory, spicy: explore gazpacho’s many flavor options

This soup’s long history gave it time to develop variations suiting any palate

By Janet Blaser
Published on Monday, June 28, 2021

The other day I was at the mercado, noticing the glorious array of summer veggies and thinking about making gazpacho. Then it occurred to me that gazpacho is basically salsa whirred in a blender.

Further research revealed that the original gazpacho was quite different than the type we enjoy today. Tomatoes weren’t added until the early 19th century, and bread — mashed, soaked, crumbed — was a foundation of the dish. In fact, the word gazpacho is derived from the Arabic for soaked bread.

History tells us that gazpacho most likely originated in the Iberian peninsula, perhaps carried by the Romans. Although traditionally eaten as a cold soup of raw vegetables blended with stale bread, vinegar, salt and olive oil, variations abound.

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