Aïgo Boulido (Provençal Garlic Soup)

The name literally means "boiled water" but this soup is a masterpiece of how to extract flavor out of only two ingredients — garlic and sage.

Ingredients

Soup

12 cloves garlic
12 large sage leaves
6 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil

salt
pepper

Toast

baguette (sliced)
1 clove garlic
gruyère (grated)

Recipe

For the toast, rub the garlic clove on the baguette. Top with the grated gruyère and stick in the broiler until the cheese has melted. If you have stale baguette slices, this will work even better. You can even skip this step and just use the stale slices.

Put the garlic and sage leaves with the water and olive oil and bring to a boil. Let it cook for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Purée the mixture really fine. Serve by pouring it over the toast.

Fairy Tales and Food

We've all read our share of fairy tales but only later do you realize how many involve food.

Food has always been scarce throughout history.

The modern century is really strange where food is plentiful and obesity runs rampant.

Goldilocks doesn't burgle the bears (too hot, too cold, just right) because she's bored. Jack doesn't just use the magic beans but murders the giant and steals his property. Hansel and Gretel aren't just starved but the witch seduces them via food, and then tries to turn them into food.

The CC has already talked about Rapunzel here.

Snow White is seduced by the apple. Cinderella by the pumpkin carriage. Little Red Riding Hood is bringing her grandmother both food and a bottle of wine (and the wolf isn't exactly bored either - grandma is food!)

Food scarcity is a real thing even today for most of the world.

The fairy tales are just telling stories to children about the reality of a past experience.