A foreigner’s view on soupe à l’oignon

As someone who wished to dive deep into Parisian culture, I embarked on a mission: to find the best soupe à l’oignon. The question now is, does such a thing as “the best” exist?

As much as I appreciate walking around in the famous “City of Lights”, there is some- thing utterly abominable about strolling around a neighborhood and suddenly being met with pouring rain. If you are like me, someone who refuses to carry an umbrella around due to the dozens of umbrellas I have forgotten about and left somewhere, looking for a place to shelter oneself is essential. Luckily, Paris is never lacking in those; be it a museum, a gallery or a café, you can always find a place to weather the storm while still enjoying this sudden change of plans. Although I do love to go to museums, I have come to the conclusion that my ultimate favorite place to hide in when Paris decides to change her mood, is the first French café I can get my hands on. I stumble in, plopping myself down on a wooden chair right underneath a heater, my best friend during the winter, and quickly begin to skim the menu. “I’ll only get a beer”, I think to myself, until my eyes are drawn to the ‘entrées’ and see the words ‘Soupe à l’oignon’ printed on the carte.

About two years ago, when I first moved to Paris, I tried my first soupe à l’oignon and since then I have never denied myself the pleasure of ordering one whenever I go to a café. It is almost an unspoken rule I have with myself. I remember it was Fall 2019 and I had decided I wanted to explore Montmartre, a neighborhood I have always enjoyed but rarely visit. After visiting the Sacré-Coeur, I found myself in Place du Tertre where I had decided was the perfect place for me to sit down and enjoy the view of artists drawing caricatures of tourists that posed for them. As I sat there, a cigarette in my left hand and a copy of Jane Eyre on my right, patiently waiting for my soup, I began to feel part of something even though I was completely alone at that moment. During this moment of reflection and as I was feeling like the epitome of a Parisienne, the soup finally arrived. In its traditional white bowl, the onion soup was completely covered with melted cheese that hid two slices of bread underneath it. I can’t decide why it tasted so good to me at that moment but I can recall thinking that it was the best soup I had ever had in my life. That moment made me question food in general. Why was this simple soup tasting so heavenly at that moment and how can other French onion soups compare to this one? That’s when it all began: the search for the best soupe à l’oignon.

The existence of onion soups can be traced back as far back as to Roman times and was, throughout history, seen as food for the lower classes until it became glamorized in the mid nineteenth century. The dish is a fairly simple one with very accessible ingredients. Although recipes vary greatly and some people decide to alter the preparation process as well as the ingredients to make it more personalized, there are still some basic ingredients and rules. The dish is based on a meat stock mixed with onions and then served with a gratin on top or a large piece of bread with cheese covering it and floating on top. The soup’s main ingredient is cooked slowly until caramelized and with an added touch of brandy, white wine or sherry to deglaze. Afterwards, the contents are transferred into the ramekin where the cheese will be broiled to give it the gratin feel to the fish. In short, the recipe of this specific dish is not as tedious nor as difficult as others but in its simplicity there lies room for errors that can either make or break the dish.

Since that fateful day in Montmartre, I have been to hundreds of cafés in search of the definition of perfection. I have tried amazing French onion soups, as well as horrifyingly bad ones. In my search, I have decided on a set of standards that the soups must have. For a soupe à l’oignon to be deemed good it must fulfill the following: The soup must be presented on one of the classic white bowls that give the plate such a distinct feeling. Presentation has become an important part of the culinary experience you embark on when you try a dish and so, to eat a traditional French onion soup in a platter that differs from what is indeed traditional lessens the experience. The soup must have a good ratio of onions, bread and cheese. I have encountered some where the amount of onions is staggering and, although one has to understand that this is of course the main ingredient, a balance is needed.

When deciding if a soup is made correctly, I base my decisions on the amount of cheese it has for example. The soup must have the bread inside, not on the side. I know this one seems pretty stupid but you would be amazed at the amount of soups I have ordered that don’t come with the bread already incorporated into the dish but on a separate plate. And last but not least important, the soup must be tasted in a good environment that compliments the dish. I get this one sounds weird but I am convinced that food tastes differently depending on your surroundings; that is to say, ambient and atmosphere affect how you think of food. I have been to restaurants where the experience is close to unbearable and so the soup, even if it is good, loses something. Out of all the soupe à l’oignon that I have tried up until now, only a few have managed to stay in my mind. However, I think it is important to note that we all have different preferences and so, what I deem to be the “best” might not be someone else’s best. I have tried French onion soups that have added sugars to it which renders it to be sweet – this is not a preference of mine but perhaps there is someone out there that actually prefers or demands it.

Whether the “best” French onion soup truly exists – one has to think about what “best” actually means– there is no doubt that there is a wide range of options made for everyone. According to my preferences and following the standards I have established to classify a French onion soup as good or bad, the best soup I’ve had, as of now since the investigation will seemingly be ongoing, can be found in a traditional French restaurant called La Jacobine near Saint Germain des Prés. Au Pied de Cochon also has a delicious French onion soup, although I have found it to be a bit oily at times, but nonetheless, very good. However, the worst one I have encountered in this city can be found in a small café near Châtelet. The soup was unimpressive, oily and seemed more like it came from a Campbell can than from a traditional French café. The soup as well as the ambience leaves much to be desired.

French onion soup is a rite of passage for any foreigner visiting France – it is a must try. Whether you like your soup with broiled cheese on top, with croutons, oily, sweet or salty, there is a great variety of café’s that are able to offer and cater to your specific preferences when it comes to soupe à l’oignon. Although I have found two of what for me are the best restaurants with French onion soup, I have not had the opportunity to taste every single traditional French cuisine restaurant here in Paris, and maybe I never will, but nonetheless these two restaurants are strong contenders and will likely put up a fight against any new find I make in the process.