Cawl

Cawl (pronounced [kaul]) is a Welsh dish. In modern Welsh the word is used to refer to any soup or broth. In English the word is used to refer to a traditional Welsh soup. Historically, ingredients tended to vary, but the most common recipes included salted bacon or beef with potatoes, swedes, carrots and other seasonal vegetables. Modern variations of the meal tend to use lamb and leek. Cawl is recognised as a national dish of Wales.

History

With recipes dating back to the 14th century, cawl is widely considered to be the national dish of Wales. Cawl was traditionally eaten during the winter months in the south-west of Wales. Today the word is often used to refer to a dish containing lamb and leeks, due to their association with Welsh culture, but historically it was made with either salted bacon or beef, along with swedes, carrots and other seasonal vegetables. With the introduction of potatoes into the European diet in the latter half of the 16th century, this too would become a core ingredient in the recipe.