The story
Gazpacho began as a humble mix of stale bread, olive oil, garlic, vinegar and water, pounded in a mortar by farm labourers working in the Andalusian heat. Some trace the idea back to Roman soldiers, and Moorish cooks are said to have added almonds for the white version. Tomatoes and peppers from the Americas joined much later, and the chilled red gazpacho known today became standard in the 1800s. Seville is most associated with that classic style, while nearby Córdoba turned it into thick salmorejo. Blenders and fridges later made it a summer staple across Spain.
Rival claims
Gazpacho belongs to Andalusia as a whole rather than one city: Córdoba claims the thicker salmorejo and Málaga the almond-based ajoblanco, while Seville is the city most associated with the classic red version, so it is a sensible representative pin.
Also known as gaspacho, Andalusian gazpacho, gazpacho andaluz, cold tomato soup.
On the Meridish menu
Gazpacho was the soup course on menu No. 4 on October 4, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A cold soup of blended tomato, cucumber, pepper, olive oil and bread, built for scorching southern summers.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- foodswinesfromspain.com/en/food/articles/2018/august/gazpacho-tour
- andalucia.com/magazine/english/ed3/gazpacho.htm
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazpacho
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
