For a long time set aside in favor of a minimal and informal table setting, the beautiful tureen of the past is making a comeback with the strength of its timeless elegance.
The story of our protagonist begins with the practice of serving broth-based dishes in the same pot used for cooking. Antonio Latini—one of the most famous Italian chefs of the 17th century and a pioneer of tomato sauce—encouraged this practice. In his book Lo scalco alla moderna, the author indeed recalls often serving his rich soups 'with the entire pot' because, in this way, they 'look better and taste better' and can then be 'divided into plates.'
Later, the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, decreed the triumphant entrance of the soup tureen into the culinary culture of the centuries to come. Authentic porcelain jewels began to spread across the noble tables of all Europe, thanks to the creative flair of the first historic manufacturing houses of Meissen, Nymphenburg, Sèvres, Limoges, Royal Copenhagen, Ginori, Wedgwood, and Herend.
Since then, the soup tureen has never ceased to surprise us with its multifaceted and poetic charm, a small but precious protagonist of our conviviality.
