Page 59 - Bulletin, Vol.82 No.3, October 2023

KAPPEL SOUP – THE SOUP THAT HELPED TO

BROKER PEACE

By Evelina RIOUKHINA and Marithé HORVAT

Have you heard the legend of Swiss Kappel Soup? It happened in 1529, and
increasingly food historians and researchers agree that Kappel milk soup was an
ancestor of the fondue. The Kappel milk soup is today considered an icon of diplomacy,
as well as an important symbol of neutrality and accord.

The events took place in Kappal am Albis and no one today knows for sure how the
soup came to be, or the ingredients used, but it was first made in the field near Kappel
Abbey. It was during the Swiss Reformation at the start of the 16th century, on the
turbulent frontier between opposing Protestant and Catholic leaning territories. To the
north was the Protestant-favouring canton of Zürich, led by Ulrich Zwingli, a parish
overseer who was spreading reform. To the south were Zug and the allied Catholic
cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy, who felt their rural union should remain aligned
with Rome. Schism and distrust were rife, and by summer 1529 diplomacy between the
two cantons had failed. Zürich’s soldiers, kitted out with armour and pikes, marched
south to war.

Fortunately bloodshed was prevented… by soup. The legend is that the broth was
created by accident in June 1529 when two hungry armies met on what is now known
as the Milchsuppestein, or ‘milk soup pasture’. While the generals continued
negotiating, the infantry brokered their own truce over a cooking pot while on the
battlefield. They were hungry after the long march, and Zürich had plenty of bread and
salt, while Zug had a surplus of milk from its farms. The story goes that they put aside
their arms and were eating together from the same bowl, each putting their own piece of
bread in it. Although they were separated by the frontier and taking from opposite sides
of the casserole, they were sharing the same soup while their arms were at rest,
thereby preventing bloodshed.

The legend was so impressive and important, that it was brought to life by the great
Swiss painter Anker in his work ‘Die Kappeler Milchsuppe’ (1869). Since then, food has
played a strong role in Swiss history and is now used internationally as a symbol of
diplomacy and reconciliation. There is even a memorial to honour the soup that helped
broker peace, stop the hostilities, prevent bloodshed, and show the way to compromise
using what unites rather than divides us.

If only soup could resolve all conflict! However, even at Kappel the tension remained,
leading to the Second War of Kappel two years later when the opposing cantons once
again took to the battlefield. However, the mythology of the soup has proven to be
a catalyst for Swiss diplomacy ever since.

Nowadays, when Swiss politicians or councillors have disputes this soup is still served.
The soup has also been used as a symbol of Switzerland for its diplomacy and
neutrality and the ability to find compromise. It is believed that the mixture was made of

AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 82 No.2, 2023-10 57

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