Origin of Tomato Juice?
Louis Perrin, chef at the French Lick Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana, ran out of oranges one summer’s day in 1917.
Needing a juice to serve guests at breakfast, he substituted tomatoes that were peeled, cored, squeezed and cooked, adding a touch of sugar and a “splash of his special sauce”.
Hotel lore says, “The drink was so well received that was produced commercially in factories in French Lick, Paoli, and Salem, Indiana.”
Today, the resort still posts Chef Perrin’s recipe (but omits his mysterious “special sauce”):
Clean and remove stems from one bushel of ripe tomatoes. Puree or mesh through a fine sieve, discarding the pulp. To four gallons of juice, add one gallon of water, plus two tablespoonsful of salt and two tablespoonsful of sugar per gallon. Stir well. Chill well and store refrigerated. Serve either hot or cold.
(Photo by Susan McKee)
