🇮🇹 Italian · Soup
🍲 Acquacotta Maremmana
Acquacotta
'Cooked water,' a humble Tuscan Maremma soup of vegetables and stale bread, traditionally finished with a poached egg and a shower of pecorino, born from the simplest available pantry staples.
Acquacotta reflects the resourceful cooking of the Maremma's shepherds and farm laborers, who historically made do with whatever vegetables and stale bread were on hand, and the poached egg cracked directly into the finished soup remains its most distinctive feature.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large pot
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 400 g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 L (4¼ cups) water or vegetable stock
- 4 slices stale rustic bread, toasted
- 4 eggs
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- Grated pecorino, for serving
- Fresh basil, torn
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and celery until softened.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the water or stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking for 15–20 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each serving bowl.
- Crack an egg directly into the simmering soup for each portion, poaching gently for 3–4 minutes until the whites set but yolks remain soft.
- Ladle the soup and a poached egg over each slice of bread.
- Finish with a generous dusting of pecorino and fresh basil.
Chef Tips
- Poach the eggs gently directly in the simmering broth rather than separately, which is the traditional method.
- The toasted bread at the bottom of the bowl is essential, not optional, soaking up the broth as it sits.
- This is a genuinely simple, adaptable soup — many versions include whatever vegetables are seasonally available.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overcooking the eggs, losing the soft, runny yolk that's meant to mix into the broth.
- Skipping the toasted bread base, which is a defining part of the traditional presentation.
- Making the soup too thin — acquacotta should be substantial enough to be a full meal.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein from the egg, and vitamins from the vegetables.
Cultural Note
Acquacotta is deeply tied to the Maremma region of southern Tuscany, historically the food of shepherds and farm laborers making the most of humble, available ingredients.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate the base soup (without egg) for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat the soup gently, then poach fresh eggs directly in it when ready to serve.
Serve with: Crusty bread, A light Tuscan white wine