butternut soup

Butternut Soup: A heart-warming soup for Nelson Mandela. Image: Adobe.

Butternut soup – Nelson Mandela’s favourite soup recipe

Wholesome and aromatic, this delicious soup was a much-loved meal Nelson Mandela enjoyed in his latter years.

butternut soup

Butternut Soup: A heart-warming soup for Nelson Mandela. Image: Adobe.

Butternut soup is one of those recipes you cannot live without throughout the long winter months. In later years, this aromatic, wholesome soup became one of Nelson Mandela’s favourite meals.

When Mr Mandela’s health started changing, he preferred eating soft food that was easy to swallow. This butternut soup became one of the meals he would frequently request.

Knowing Mr Mandela for years as a person who enjoyed food that required chewing like mealies, samp and beans, I could not believe in later years that all he wanted was butternut soup. Oftentimes, he would be content with this healthy soup for lunch and dinner.

Butternut soup is a soothing meal, especially in the winter months. Pair it with freshly baked bread slathered with a generous knob of butter, and you are all set for an appetising bite.

Enjoy this fragrant soup that was a favourite of Nelson Mandela. Perfect to serve on a cold winter’s evening.

Butternut soup recipe

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Xoliswa Ndoyiya Course: Starter, MainCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 kg 1 butternut squash, peeled seeded and roughly chopped

  • 2 litres 2 water

  • 1 medium 1 onion, finely grated

  • 3 cubes 3 chicken stock

  • 500 ml 500 fresh cream

  • salt and white pepper to taste

Method

  • Put the butternut into a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat and cook the butternut until the water has reduced by a third and the butternut is soft to mash. It should take about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer the butternut and liquid to a food processor and blend to form a smooth puree.
  • Add the onion, stock cube and blend again.
  • Return the mixture to the pot and cook gently over medium heat until the onion is cooked through. This takes about 2 minutes.
  • Add the cream and warm gently. If the soup is too thick, add a bit of little milk or stock dissolved in water.
  • Season and serve.

Notes

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Looking for more tasty recipes Xoliswa used to prepare for Nelson Mandela? Just have a look at our recipe page for more of her recipes and much more. We have excellent suggestions for you to try.

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