Leek soup

 ( Vegetable Soups ) 

Leek soup, or usually leek and potato soup, is common to the cuisines of many places. It is made from leeks and other vegetables simmered in water or stock. Potatoes are usually included, and other ingredients may include onions and garlic. The soup may be enriched with milk or cream before serving. It is usually served hot, but if chilled may form the basis of vichyssoise.

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Background Leek soup is a traditional staple of many cuisines. A 1771 reference book lists the Italian porrata, "a leek-soup or pottage"; a Scottish cook, Susanna MacIver, included leek soup in her 1782 Cookery and Pastry; a Welsh version, cawl cennin – "leek pottage or porridge" – is recorded in 1794;Walters, p. 874 a German-English dictionary from 1796 refers to Lauchsuppe, "leek pottage".Bailey, p. 422 Maria Rundell's Domestic Cookery (1808) gives a recipe for "Scotch Leek Soup", thickened with oatmeal.Rundell, p. 104

French leek and potato soup has the alternative names potage Parmentier (in honour of the man who popularised potatoes in France) and soupe à la bonne femme. "Potage Parmentier", Le Journal des Femmes. Retrieved 21 June 2025; and Escoffier, p. 259 Elizabeth David (1984) refers to "every French housewife's potato and leek soup".David, p. 40 Porrusalda is a Basque leek soup, typically using the same ingredients as the versions from elsewhere.Koehler, p. 26 In Spain the soup is known as sopa de puerros y patatas.Ortega, recipe no. 125

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Contents Leeks are the one ingredient common to all recipes. In some recipes only the white part of the leek is used; in others, both white and green are used. Potatoes are also usually included. Cooks and food writers differ about the other ingredients.

James Beard	chicken stock	potato	butter	nutmeg, cayenne	Beard, p. 368
Simone Beck et al	water	potato, onion	cream	parsley or chives	Beck et al, p. 36
Mary Berry	chicken or vegetable stock	potato, onion	cream	chives or parsley	"Mary Berry Leek and Potato Soup Recipe", Mary Berry Recipes. Retrieved 21 June 2025
Robert Carrier	chicken stock	potato	cream	chives	Carrier, p. 57
Craig Claiborne	chicken stock	potato, onion	cream	chives	Claiborne, p. 102
Auguste Escoffier	white stock	potato	milk and butter	croutons	Escoffier, p. 259
Jane Grigson	water	potato, onion, garlic			Grigson, p. 302
Jeff Koehler	chicken stock or water	potato, carrot	olive oil		Koehler, p. 26
Prosper Montagné	stock	potato	butter	chervil	Montagné, p. 915
Simone Ortega	water	potato	stock
Maria Rundell	water	oatmeal			Rundell, p. 104
Delia Smith	milk and chicken stock or water	potato, onion	cream	chives	Smith, pp. 97–98

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Sources

• James Beard (1995). 9781566493253, Angle. ISBN 9781566493253
  , Publication date Publisher:
• Simone Beck (2025). 9780241953396, Particular. ISBN 9780241953396
• Craig Claiborne (1973). 9780140461725, Penguin. ISBN 9780140461725
• Elizabeth David (1986). 9780140467215, Penguin. ISBN 9780140467215
• Jane Grigson (1998). 9780140273236, Penguin. . ISBN 9780140273236
• Jeff Koehler (2025). 9780811875011, Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811875011
• Simone Ortega (1972). 9788420609461, Ediciones del Prado. . ISBN 9788420609461
• Delia Smith (1978). 9780563362869, BBC. ISBN 9780563362869

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See also

• Cawl
• List of soups
• List of vegetable soups

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