'Waiter, There's Art In My Soup' |
Brands spend inordinate sums on advertising. Yet, the best advertising is sometimes had for free.
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Campbell’s Soup was among the US’ best-known processed/packaged food brands by the year 1950, when it aired its first television advertisement. Just 12 years later, however, its popularity would soar even more — thanks to a boost from an unexpected quarter.
Campbell’s had been set up in 1869 by a fruit merchant, Joseph A Campbell, who teamed up with a manufacturer of iceboxes, Abraham Anderson, to sell a line of canned fruits and vegetables, jellies, condiments and minced meat. In a span of 25 years, the company had come up with its signature product: ready-to-eat tomato soup. Tomatoes had been one of Campbell’s major canned products since the time of the company’s inception; it made sense, then, that its first soup flavour in the ready-to-eat segment would be tomato as well.
The years 1897 and 1898 marked significant turning points for Campbell’s. First, a new hire — the manager’s nephew, a chemist called Dr John T Dorrence — found a way to eliminate the heaviest component of Campbell’s ready-to-eat soups: water. Condensed variants of the soup could now be packaged, shipped and sold at a much lower cost. Second, inspired by the Cornell University football team’s red-and-white uniforms, Campbell’s treasurer Herberton L Williams suggested that they incorporate the same colour scheme in their branding and labels. Thus, the iconic red-and-white cans took form.
It was in 1962 though that Campbell’s Soup earned its undisputed place in pop culture. The artist Andy Warhol created his 32 paintings of every flavour of Campbell’s Soup, from tomato to clam chowder, cream of celery, bean and more. When asked why he chose to paint the soup cans (he did not have a sponsorship of any kind with Campbell’s), Warhol said he’d eaten the same meal (Campbell’s Soup) for nearly 20 years and was fond of it. In choosing to paint everyday objects, Warhol was also hoping to differentiate his oeuvre from that of an artist he revered: Roy Lichtenstein.
While arguments over their artistic merit have continued, the Campbell’s Soup Can paintings cemented both Warhol’s status as a leading American artist and the company’s as an American food icon. For more anecdotes about food, visit the Slurrp website or download the app.
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Serves 4. Cook time: 30 mins. |
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion (chopped)
1 medium-size carrot (diced)
2 medium ribs of celery (chopped)
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 cups seasonal vegetables (chopped)
4-5 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water (if needed)
Salt and pepper, as per taste
2 bay leaves
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup whole grain pasta (elbow or small shell pasta) uncooked
1/2 cup kidney beans (boiled)
2 cup baby spinach (chopped)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Freshly chopped basil
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Heat olive oil in a pan, add bay leaves and minced garlic. Sauté for 20-30 seconds. Then, add the chopped onions and celery, sauteing it for a couple of minutes more. Add diced carrots with the chopped vegetables and a pinch of salt. Cook for another two minutes, till the veggies begin to soften a bit. |
Now add the kidney beans and mix. Pour in the tomato puree and sauté for another 5-7 minutes on medium flame. Add the vegetable broth with the pasta. Mix everything and then cover the pan. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. |
Open the pan lid, add chopped spinach, dried thyme, oregano, flakes, and salt. Again simmer till the pasta is thoroughly cooked and ingredients are properly mixed. Serve hot, with a dash of lemon juice, chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese. |
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