“Die Kappeler Milchsuppe” (“The Kappeler Milk Soup”) — Gemälde von Albert Anker, 1869

Food has a magnificent reputation for bringing people together—and according to the history books, it even has a reputation for preventing wars.

Back in 1529, an army of Catholic infantrymen were facing off against an army of Protestants during the Reformation of Switzerland.

Though the conflict has been called the “First War of Kappel”, no violence actually took place on the battlefield.

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That’s because while the leaders of the two armies were negotiating, the two groups of soldiers began to chat. As they became more and more friendly, the armies decided to combine their separate rations in order to share a meal of “milk soup”, with the Protestants providing the bread and the Catholics providing the milk.

The solidarity that formed between the armies during their makeshift meal allegedly helped the conflict to resolve itself peacefully.

To this day, milk soup—also known as “Kappeler Milchsuppe”—is a beloved staple of Swiss cuisine. Despite how it now involves a few more ingredients than it did on the fabled battlefield several centuries ago, culinary experts still say that milk soup can help bring people together no matter their disagreement.

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