Which historic food has no reservations about being served at a Minnesota farm table or on prestigious Capitol Hill? Was a Minnesota senator behind this culinary staple being served almost daily at Senate restaurants for about the past 125 years?
As America celebrates its 250th Anniversary, let’s talk about an American classic, the humble but iconic bean soup, best served with a slice of crusty bread. It’s a traditional hearty soup made with navy (or Great Northern) beans, ham hocks and simple seasonings.
Growing up on my grandparents’ dairy farm in southeast Minnesota, I fondly remember my grandmother’s bean soup simmering on the stove while the pleasing aroma wafted through our 1800s farmhouse.
There was nothing fancy about Grandma’s recipe, but I’m sure it was just as delicious as the one served in our nation’s capital. Grandma added potatoes to her version. The potatoes and onion were fresh from her garden, and the ham and ham bone were from one of our butchered hogs. The family ate “farm to table” long before it became a popular trend.
Grandma’s flavorful bean soup with a slice of her homemade bread was comfort food at its finest, and hands-on training in her kitchen was provided from an early age.
I started as a young bean sorter – picking through the navy beans to remove any rocks or broken or discolored beans. A couple years later, I got promoted to potato peeling before advancing to slicing potatoes with a Veg-O-Matic chopper she had for larger quantities. Then came lessons on safely using sharp knives for dicing onions and cutting up chunks of ham. All this occurred well before the Home Economics classes of Owatonna Junior High School.
Eventually, I moved away to college at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. One day, I received a letter from home.
Suddenly, I was missing my grandparents and I was hungry.
Off I went to a local grocer and, in what seemed like divine providence, stumbled upon a can of Dominque’s U.S. Senate Bean Soup. The heated soup with saltines provided both sustenance and comfort before continuing my studies.
Decades later I learned that the reality was more than a hill of beans. A recipe for Senate Bean Soup is indeed served at Senate restaurants in Washington, D.C. and not just a clever marketing gimmick for a can of soup.
The Senate Historical Office’s website confirms, “Bean soup has been a required and beloved menu tradition in Senate restaurants for more than a century.”
Legend has it that Senate Bean Soup has been on the menu daily at Capitol Hill since around the turn of the 20th Century – except for one day. Due to World War II rationing, the Senate kitchen did not have enough navy beans to serve the soup on September 14, 1943, which was reported the next day in the Washington Times-Herald.
A couple of stories have emerged about how this basic soup became a daily Senate staple.
“According to one story, the Senate’s bean soup tradition began early in the 20th century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho, who as chair of the committee overseeing the Senate Restaurant, passed a resolution in the committee requiring that bean soup be on the menu daily,” explains the Senate’s website.
“Another story attributes the request to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who expressed his fondness for the soup in 1903 and insisted that it be on the menu each day.”
In 1940, a bowl of soup cost just fifteen cents. Today, it’s around $7.00 at U.S. Senate cafeterias on Capitol Hill. Typically, it’s on the daily menu at the Dirksen Senate Café and on a rotating menu for the Capitol Visitor Center.
The Senate’s website also shows Sen. Dubois’ five-gallon version: www.senate.gov/about/traditions-symbols/senate-bean-soup.htm.
This soup is the perfect make ahead meal for rainy days at the cabin.
The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe
2 pounds dried navy beans
4 quarts hot water
1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.
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