Vermeer Exhibition
I was invited to and attended the media preview for the Vermeer Exhibition.
The exhibition report is compiled below, please take a look.
Since it was for the media, “Soup Stock Tokyo” had set up a booth inside the venue, and were offering samples of the Vermeer Exhibition collaboration soup “Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’ Soup”, made in conjunction with the Vermeer Exhibition.
Art Soups
Other art-inspired soups from “Soup Stock Tokyo” are also on sale, and reportedly all are selling briskly. Notably, “Van Gogh’s Onion Soup” has been a huge hit, and this Vermeer soup is being launched with equal confidence.
Incidentally, they had wanted to include Picasso’s name in the product name for “The Artist’s Lemon and Chicken Soup,” but unfortunately were unable to get permission. That flavor also piques the curiosity.
“Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’ Soup”
Here are some of the details behind the new art soup, “Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’ Soup,” as heard directly from the staff.
- The ingredients are kept simple, taking into account the historical background of the Vermeer exhibition.
- Uses Gouda cheese from the Netherlands.
- Inspired by the texture of the bread in the painting, a hard bread was chosen.
- Walnuts and raisins are mixed into the bread to allow enjoyment of a variety of flavors.
- The color of the soup is considered to match the impression of the wall in the painting.
- Mustard sauce adds a moderate acidity.
- Only mushrooms are used as the ingredient, pursuing a simple flavor.
I sampled it — a simple taste, yet the cheese is rich and full of depth. Really delicious.
The cheese produces a fine flavor, and the overall completion of the product is impressive. The ingredient selection appears to be a success.
Tried It at the Store
It was so delicious that I actually visited a store in Tokyo to try “Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’ Soup” for real.
Yes — delicious!
Compared to the sample tasting, the cheese flavor seemed slightly diminished, but it’s astonishing that this taste can be offered at this price. The often-worrying calorie count is also not that high, at 347 kcal for the regular size.
I wanted a refill of bread… Thank you for the meal!
Overview
Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” Soup
Inspired by “The Milkmaid,” which beautifully depicts the everyday life of a woman devoted to housework in the kitchen, wrapped in tranquility, we created this soup.
Cheese, bread, and milk were everyday ingredients in the Netherlands of the time; by preparing them as a soup, we express the power that simple food possesses. Just like the negative space of the wall in the painting, by intentionally using few ingredients, each material’s flavor stands out and enhances the others.
Sale period: Friday, October 5, 2018 – Friday, November 2, 2018
Price: Regular-size à la carte 630 yen (tax incl.)
Where to buy: All Soup Stock Tokyo stores (* Excluding also Soup Stock Tokyo, Odashi Tokyo, and Ie de Taberu Soup Stock Tokyo stores)
