Doodle Soup

[Eleanor Rose]

(Free clip art)​

Bradford, Tennessee, is Doodle Soup country, and no one seems to know why. Some date the soup back to the 1860s, when it could have served either Confederate or Union soldiers in a state divided by the Civil War. Others say it was named after the "doodle wagons" that sold odds and ends from horse-drawn carriages around the state. The only certainty is it's a good recipe. According to the Tennessean, rural folks eat it with flaky biscuits, while city-dwellers prefer crackers. This is an ongoing debate in Bradford, which declared itself the Doodle Soup Capital of the World in 1957.

Doodle Soup

Place 2 tablespoons cooking oil and 2/3 cup distilled red vinegar in a roaster on top of the stove. Add the meat of your choice: chicken, rabbit, goat or pork. Cover and cook on medium until tender.

Remove the meat from the roaster but reserve all the liquid in the roaster. Place the meat in a pan and brush it with butter. Place it in the oven until it is brown. To the broth you have left in the roaster, add:

2/3 cup vinegar
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Dry cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup sugar, more or less, to taste
Small amount of flour

Bring liquid to a boil on high heat. The boiling is what makes the peppers take to the Doodle Soup. Meanwhile, in a small cup, whisk together a small amount of flour and water to make a paste. Add this paste slowly to the Doodle Soup, while stirring, until it is thick and very smooth, but not as thick as gravy.

Serve the browned meat separately on one plate and serve the soup in a bowl, poured over crumbled crackers or over biscuits.

 

[donna]

One I have never heard of. Eleanor thanks for posting. I enjoy your recipes and history behind them so much.

 

[lupaglupa]

I first heard about Doodle Soup at an exhibit on Tennessee foods at the TN State Museum. Seems like everyone has their own recipe, as long as it contains vinegar.