Surprising meal that has been on US Senate menu for over 120 years for bizarre reason

There is a specific meal that’s been on the Senate’s restaurant menu every single day for over a century…and the reason is very strange.

There is so much history when it comes to food, that we often don’t think about the way it was created, or why it became so famous in certain regions.

But when there’s a good story, everyone should be privy to it.

Such as the case of the infamous soup that has been on the United States Senate menu since 1908.

The Senate was founded on March 4, 1789, and it wasn’t long before it began a practice that would last up until present day.

The United States Senate loves this one dish (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty)

It was the introduction of bean soup, also known as Senate Bean Soup or Capitol Bean Soup.

This incredibly cheap and simple dish has been served every single day since 1908 and is still going strong.

But its origins are debatable.

According to the Senate website: “Bean soup is on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day. There are several stories about the origin of that mandate, but none has been corroborated.”

According to one story, the tradition was started by Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho, who was the chair of the committee overseeing the Senate Restaurant.

The story goes on to say that he passed a resolution in the committee requiring that bean soup should be on the daily menu, and it should always include mashed potatoes (presumably Idaho potatoes).

Another story states that it began with Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who loved the soup, and in 1903 and insisted that it should be on the menu from thereon out- with none of the ingredients hailing from his hometown.

It has been served every day (excluding one day) for over a century (Getty Stock Images)

Regardless of its origins, there was only one day where it wasn’t served, and it even made the news.

It happened on September 14, 1943, when rationing due to World War II left the kitchen without enough navy beans to make the famed soup.

The Washington Times-Herald reported that it was absent from the menu the following day and in a speech on the Senate in 1988, Bob Dole responded to the issue decades later: "Somehow, by the next day, more beans were found and bowls of bean soup have been ladled up without interruption ever since."

Its variations have been challenged also, with it sometimes having ham hocks included, and other times there was a stock instead.

Anyway, the two recipes (one with mashed potatoes, and one without) are right here for you to try out yourself.

Senate Bean Soup, created by Dubois (allegedly), makes a 5-gallon batch, and consists of: 2 pounds dried navy beans, 4 quarts of hot water, 1 1/2 pounds of smoked ham hocks, 1 onion chopped, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper.

The other batch of Bean Soup Recipe, the 5 gallon one is: 3 pounds of dried navy beans, 2 pounds of ham and a ham bone, 1-quart of mashed potatoes, 5 onions, chopped, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, and half a bunch of chopped parsley.

There you have it, enjoy your dish.

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