One account attributes a supposed bean soup mandate to a Minnesota senator who expressed his fondness for it more than a century ago.
Claim: “Bean soup has been offered on the U.S. Senate dining room menu every day since 1903”.
True, for more than a century, bean soup has essentially been on the menu of the U.S. Senate dining room every day.
Except for one day in 1943, the kitchen ran out of the soup during a bean shortage in the midst of World War II.
Historical accounts of this extraordinary culinary phenomenon can be found on social media platforms like Facebook and Reddit, one of which had received more than 23,000 upvotes at the time of this writing.
TIL that Navy Bean Soup Has Been On The Menu of the Senate Dining Room Every Day Since 1903
byu/Overall-Register9758 intodayilearned
Indeed, historical records confirm that bean soup was introduced to the menu in 1903 and has been served daily — except for one day.
The Architect of the Capitol, a federal agency responsible for the operation of the U.S. Capitol, writes on its website that “Senate Bean Soup” is on the menu daily.
“The origin of this culinary decree has been lost in antiquity, but there are several oft-repeated legends,” writes the Architect of the Capitol, noting:
One story has it that Senator Fred Thomas Dubois of Idaho, who served in the Senate from 1901 to 1907, when chairman of the committee that supervised the Senate Restaurants, gaveled through a resolution requiring that Bean Soup be on the menu every day.
Another account attributes the Bean Soup mandate to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who expressed his fondness for it in 1903
In 2003, The Washington Post reported (archive) that former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole recounted in a 1988 “Bicentennial Minute” oration on the Senate floor that:
… the Washington Times Herald reported on Sept. 15, 1943, that on the previous day bean soup was not available: Wartime rations had left the kitchen lacking the necessary Michigan navy beans.
“Somehow,” Dole said, “by the next day, more beans were found and bowls of bean soup have been ladled up without interruption ever since.
Newspapers.com hosted an archived version of the 1943 article, titled, “Capitol Stuff,” written by John O’Donnell. It read, in part:
The war caught up with the worthy members of the U.S. Senate yesterday when they assembled after the summer siesta. For the first time in a half century the Senate restaurant ran out of its supply of its famed bean soup (ten cents a cup, 15 cents a plate).
[…]
Until yesterday, the diner in the Senate restaurant was assured of the famed plate. At noon came the startling news, never before announced: “Sorry, no more bean soup.”
Two hours later, there was bean soup in the kitchen.
[…]
But the failure of the Senators to get the soup on the day of their return to the Capitol was significant. It has been our studied belief that Washington food (or its lock), the Washington humidity and the Washington liquor are responsible for most of the crapulous ill-tempers and high-placed tantrums in this wartime capital of the world.
The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists two bean soup recipes on its website:
The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe (serves 8):
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- 2 pounds dried navy beans
- 4 quarts hot water
- 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.
Bean Soup Recipe (for 5 gallons):
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- 3 pounds dried navy beans
- 2 pounds of ham and a ham bone
- 1 quart mashed potatoes
- 5 onions, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- half a bunch of parsley, chopped
Clean the beans, then cook them dry. Add ham, bone, and water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and mix thoroughly. Add chopped vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour before serving.
