Since America’s Atlantic coast produces shellfish in abundance, it might seem that a dish like bisque arrived with English and French colonists and became a popular staple. A more likely story is that bisque is a contraction of two words - bis, meaning “twice” or “again” and cuites, meaning “cooked.” Since the standard way to make bisque is to first roast the shells, then simmer them in the broth, this accurately describes the soup. While this theory conjures up picturesque coastlines and the cry of gulls, it probably isn’t true. Some say the name pays homage to the Bay of Biscay, the enormous, shellfish-rich sweep of water bordered by the eastern coast of France and the northern coast of Spain. Bisque was not initially a fancy soup but contained finely crushed shells of whatever seafood was used, leading food historians to suggest that it was a fisherman’s dish, designed to get the most flavor out of ingredients at hand. The first mention of bisque as a shellfish soup dates back to 17th century. It fell into disuse, and was resurrected many years later. “Bisque” was a term originally used for soups made with game birds. ![]() Another contemporary trend is to reserve some of the main ingredients and stir them in after the rest of the soup has been puréed. Though inaccurate, the practice has become entrenched, probably because Celery Bisque on a menu sells more bowls of soup than Cream of Celery does. ![]() In recent years, bisque is often used to describe any cream soup, whether shellfish is present or not. An American take on bisque adds a little heat with the addition of cayenne or ground red pepper. ![]() The term technically denotes a shellfish-based soup, in which the broth and meat of lobster, crab, shrimp, or crayfish are sautéed along with onions, carrots, celery and spices, then thickened with rice, cream, or a roux. What is Bisque?īisque is a thick, flavorful soup whose ingredients have been puréed to a flawlessly creamy consistency. Mouth feel us why we love the chill of ice cream, the crunch of potato chips and, at least in my case, the thick silk of a good bisque. It’s the way you experience food once you put it in your mouth, and I love it because it acknowledges the fact that taste is only one component of food satisfaction. There’s a phrase in the food lexicon that I love – mouth feel.
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