I never tasted a soup made from fruit until a couple of years ago.  I was at a local restaurant in southern Illinois, and they had cantaloupe soup on the menu.  

Since I like to try new things, I ordered it and was surprised at how good it was.

Many of the recipes below are from Mrs Mary Wilson’s Cookbook published 1920. Even though this blog is based on 1800s cookbook recipes, I thought you might like to try some of these soup recipes.

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

FRUIT SOUPS
Fruit soups are very refreshing and often served hot, in cups, and cold or slightly frozen, in glasses. Sea moss, sago or tapioca make the most suitable foundations for them.

Honey instead of cane sugar may be used to sweeten.

The white of egg beaten, sweetened a trifle and flavored delicately with rose, lemon or orange may be put onto each cup in roses with a pastry tube or dropped on by teaspoonfuls.

Whipped cream may be used with some.

Berries, pieces of orange or slices of banana are sometimes served in the soup.

Odds and ends of sauces can be utilized, and in the summer, all sorts of fresh fruits.

Thin slices of Brazil nuts, crisp toasted almonds, English walnuts, pecans or hickory nuts are suitable accompaniments.

TO MAKE FRUIT SOUP
You may use any fruit desired. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, cherries, grapes, currants, apples, peaches, pears, oranges, lemon, and quinces may be used for these soups. They are delicious when served ice cold on a hot day.

Thoroughly cleanse, and to each pint of crushed fruit allow three pints of water. The fruit must be packed solidly. Place in a kettle and cook until the fruit is soft and then rub through a fine sieve. Now measure and add one-half cup of sugar, and three tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in four tablespoons of cold water to each pint of the fruit puree. Bring to a boil and cook five minutes. Remove from the fire and add the yolk of one egg. Beat very hard and then fold in the stiffly beaten white of the egg. Season slightly with nutmeg, chill, and serve.

STRAWBERRY AND PINEAPPLE SOUP
1/3 to 1/2 cup of sago
or
1/4 to 1/3 cup of tapioca
2 1/2 cups strawberry juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
sugar, if necessary
salt

Put sago or tapioca into the inner cup of a double boiler with one cup of warm water. Soak sago one hour, and tapioca ten minutes to two hours, according to the kind. When soaked, pour one cup of boiling water over, add a little salt and cook until transparent. Add strawberry, pineapple and lemon juice, and sugar to make delicately sweet. Heat to just below the boiling point and serve at once, or cool.

Other suitable fruit juices may be substituted for the ones given. Those of strong and positive flavor a larger proportion of water may be used. Of course, with some tart juices, no lemon juice would be required.

TOMATO AND RAISIN SOUP
Stew one cup seeded raisins till tender. Drain and add water to the liquid to make one and one-half cup. Add one and one-half cup strained tomato, salt, four tablespoons cream, and  two teaspoons sugar.

RAISIN AND SAGO SOUP
Simmer until transparent in four cups of water, two tablespoons of well-washed pearl sago, adding a pinch of salt, and two inches of stick cinnamon. When the sago is done, take out the cinnamon, add one-half cup of seeded and chopped raisins, and sugar to taste. Just before serving, add one cup of orange-juice.

SCANDINAVIAN FRUIT SOUP
1/2 cup sago
5 cups water
1 cup cooked prunes in pieces
1 cup stewed raisins
1/2 cup tart fruit juice
1/2 to 1 cup sugar

Soak sago in one cup warm water. Add one quart of water boiling with some salt, and cook until the sago is transparent. Add the rest of the water, the other ingredients, heat, and serve.

Dried peaches, apricots or apples may be used sometimes. Grape, currant or cranberry are suitable juices.

SEA MOSS FRUIT SOUP
2 cups diluted red raspberry juice
2 level teaspoons sea moss* if soup is to be served cold, or 5 level teaspoons if warm
⅓ cup orange juice
3 or 4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar flavored with the oil of the orange

Stir the sea moss into the cold fruit juice, heat in double boiler 25–30 minutes, stirring often. Add lemon and orange juice and sugar and stir till sugar is dissolved. Serve warm or cold.

*sea moss (also called Irish moss) –  a type of red algae found in the rocky areas along Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America.

BLUEBERRY AND COCONUT SOUP
Steep grated coconut in rich blueberry juice in a not too hot place for 20 minutes, then strain. Add sugar as required and a little lemon juice if necessary, with or without dairy cream. Serve cold with sponge cake or cookies. Rich coconut milk may be used instead of grated coconut.

CHERRY SOUP
Stone four cups of sour cherries. Cover with a quart of cold water and bring to the boil. Add half a cup of sugar and when the cherries are soft, rub through a colander and return to the fire. Thicken with one tablespoon of arrowroot, rubbed smooth with a little cold water. Bring to the boil once more while stirring and when sufficiently thick, take from the fire. Add the juice of half a lemon and serve very cold in sherbet cups.

You may use gooseberries instead of cherries.

RASPBERRY AND CURRANT SOUP
Bring to the boil two cups each of raspberry and currant juice. Sweeten to taste, thicken with three teaspoons of arrowroot rubbed smooth in a little cold water, add one teaspoon of sherry, and cool.

GRAPE JUICE CREAM SOUP
1 pint water
1 cup Concord grape juice
4 tablespoons raisins
4 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons finely-sliced citron
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup cream

Stew raisins, currants, and citron together, then add other ingredients. Heat and serve.

Excellent without cream.

Image from Deposit Photos