In conjunction with the Vermeer exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum, Soup Stock Tokyo will be selling "Vermeer's Milkmaid Soup" from October 5th to November 2nd. Also, "Van Gogh's Onion Soup," inspired by art, will be on sale from September 24th to November 2nd, and "The Artist's Lemon and Chicken Soup" from September 24th to September 28th.

Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" Soup (R size single item, 630 yen including tax)
The "Vermeer Exhibition," which will be held at the Ueno Royal Museum from October 5th, will bring eight of Vermeer's 35 remaining works to Japan. A new soup has been created inspired by one of Vermeer's most famous works, "The Milkmaid." The worldview of this work, which beautifully depicts the daily life of a woman busy with housework in the kitchen, has been captured in a bowl of soup. "Vermeer's Milkmaid Soup" (R size, 630 yen tax included) is a milk-based soup infused with melted Dutch Gouda cheese, paired with bread containing walnuts and raisins. The soup is topped with mustard sauce for a refreshing acidity. "The Milkmaid" is a work by Vermeer that depicts beauty in the everyday. This soup, like Vermeer's work, is crafted with everyday ingredients such as milk, cream, bread, and vegetable broth, yet is still as elegant as Vermeer's work. The soup does not contain any other prominent ingredients apart from the bread; instead, like the blank space on the wall in the painting, it is deliberately left out to enhance the flavor of the soup itself. Pairing cheese with mustard is a uniquely Dutch culinary culture, and I imagined that this may be similar to the taste Vermeer would have enjoyed, and used the soup to express the scene from the painting.

Van Gogh Onion Soup (R size single item, 630 yen including tax)
There are many moments in everyday life when new menu items are born at Soup Stock Tokyo. One of these is the unique development approach they have been working on since around 2010, where they create soups inspired by works of art and the stories behind them. Previously, the company has developed soups inspired not only by the elements of impressionist painter Van Gogh's painting "Still Life with a Plate of Onions," but also by the food culture and lifestyles of the time. These include "Van Gogh's Onion Soup," which was created by imagining the appearance of ingredients depicted in the painting and the historical context of the time, and "Monet's Leek Soup," which captures the rich colors of Monet's masterpiece "Water Lilies" in soup form. This fall, two of the soups inspired by art will be re-released as new seasonal staples. Available from September 24 to November 2, "Van Gogh's Onion Soup" (R size, single item, ¥630 tax included) is inspired by "Still Life with a Plate of Onions," one of several onion paintings by the 19th-century European artist. The soup depicts a sprouting onion as a symbol of vibrant life, painted shortly after the artist fell ill. This onion soup, made with slowly fried onions and torn pieces of bread dipped in it, evokes the simple, peasant lifestyle that Van Gogh loved. "What kind of soup would Van Gogh have had with these onions?" This soup was born from the imagination. Made with slowly fried onions and torn pieces of bread, this thickened onion gratin-style soup is topped with melted cheese.

Artist's Lemon and Chicken Soup (R size, single item, 630 yen including tax)
The "Artist's Lemon and Chicken Soup" (R size, single item, 630 yen including tax), which will be on sale from September 24th to 28th, is inspired by the Mediterranean coast in southern Spain and France, a region blessed with warm temperatures year-round and a mild climate bathed in abundant sunshine. It is known as a region where many talented artists, attracted by this environment, gathered and engaged in creative activities during their respective eras. The recipe was created by expanding on the imagination of these artists and the ingredients nurtured by the Mediterranean. This soup features lemon, a popular ingredient along the Mediterranean coast, and saffron, a spice essential to Mediterranean cuisine like bouillabaisse and paella, creating a refreshing aroma and rich flavor. Soup Stock Tokyo, which explores the question of "what is delicious" through food, is also hosting a workshop on October 6th to create soup inspired by art. Just like Vermeer's "Milkmawa Soup," participants will create soups inspired by art. Drawing on the artist's passion, the food culture of the time, and the lifestyles of the people who lived them, participants will freely expand their imaginations based on the artwork before them. Similar to Soup Stock Tokyo's product development process, participants will create new soups that do not follow a set recipe, working with chef Atsuko Kuwaori, who is in charge of development. Registration begins September 6th on the website (https://oishii20181006.peatix.com/).