Food - Drink
What The 'Wedding' In Italian Wedding Soup Actually Refers To
By NICO DANILOVICH
Italian wedding soup consists of broth, meat, vegetables, and sometimes pasta, and Italian chef Giada De Laurentiis says this soup is “so good, there’s no need to save it for special occasions.” However, this dish likely did not originate as a food for a special occasion, much less a wedding — here's the real meaning behind the name.
According to Food Republic, minestra maritata, the Italian name for this soup, translates loosely to “wedded broths,” and the marriage of the meats and veggies in the soup is the only kind of matrimony that is traditionally associated with the dish. Not only is there confusion surrounding the name, but the dish’s origin as well.
Wedding soup likely began as an Italian “peasant dish,” or easy, cheap food consumed by the masses, but some folks claim that the soup originated in Spain. Regardless, the dish has ceremonial roots in Italy, and is still eaten during the Feast of Santo Stefano on December 26, due to the soup's supposed healing capabilities.