French onion soup – it’s amazing, even for non-onion lovers. And English onion soup looks an awful lot like it.
Let’s check out the difference between French onion soup and English onion soup.
Keep in mind, there are variations for both soups, so the below is referring to a consensus among traditional recipes I examined:
French onion soup contains:
- Yellow onions, red onions, or a combination. (Or doesn’t specify what type to use.)
- Beef broth.
- Sherry and/or red wine.
- Thyme.
- Gruyere, Emmental, and/or Swiss cheese.
- French bread/baguette.
English onion soup contains:
- Combination white onions, red onions, shallots, and leeks.
- Beef, chicken, or vegetable broth.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Sage.
- Cheddar cheese.
- Any type of stale bread.
Both tend to have garlic.
So, as we can see…
- With French onion soup, it’s possible for only one type of onion to be included, although it’s recommended to use several different kinds; English onion soup always uses a combination and tends to include shallots and leeks.*
- Beef broth (or stock) is the preferred choice for French; English allows for any type of broth.
- French has sherry or wine; English has Worcestershire sauce.
- Thyme is the go-to herb for French; English likes sage.
- Cheeses for French are of the Swiss/Gruyere/Emmental variety; English uses Cheddar.
- French requires French bread (naturally); English allows for any type of stale bread.
*It may be tempting to only use sweet onions for obvious reasons, but they can become too sweet and mask the other exciting flavors going on.