People are debating whether cereal is soup – yes, really

Are you ready for one of those food debates that leaves you in a rage? Well, we’re here to deliver.

This one’s akin to the ol’ ‘hash browns on a full English’ discourse, or – dare we say it – discussions over if burgers are really sandwiches.

Except, actually, we think it has the potential to make you even more riled up…

It turns out a lot of people are wondering about whether cereal is a soup, and it’s an argument in equal parts ridiculous and compelling.

Some people are convinced cereal is a soup (Credit: Unsplash)

Is cereal a soup?

It might sound absurd, but in fact there is so much speculation that cereal is a soup that it’s the second suggested query when you search ‘is cereal’ on Google.

It’s fair to say there are some similarities between the two… namely that they’re both bowls of liquid, which can be slurped out of a bowl.

As cited by Reader’s Digest, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines soup as “a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food.”

So, you can kind of see the argument that cereal might fit into this bracket.

A lot of you are wondering (Credit: Google)

Why cereal isn’t a soup

Saying this, there are an abundance of reasons that cereal simply cannot be considered a soup.

1. It’s eaten for breakfast, unlike soup
2. It is usually eaten cold (okay some soups are cold, but still)
3. Cereal is sweet whereas soup is savoury
4. Soup is cooked whilst cereal isn’t

The most compelling argument, in our eyes, comes from law clerk Nate Wunderli, quoted in Virginia Law Weekly.

The ‘is cereal a soup’ debate is a complex one (Credit: Unsplash)

“In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court had to decide whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable,” he said.

“They admitted that botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits, but nonetheless decided to classify them as a vegetable because the ‘common language of the people’ says they are vegetables. The same applies here.”

Ooooft. Take that cereal-is-a-soup camp.

Is cereal a stew?

Cereal has also been dubbed a ‘stew’ by others… (Credit: Unsplash)

Yup, there is a third camp in this debate, and it’s those asking ‘is cereal a stew’?

Naturally, we think this is equally silly, but let’s break it down.

Merriam-Webster states that a stew is “fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing.”

Cereal is in no way stewed, so, erm, that solidly answers that one, doesn’t it?

As you were, everyone.

Featured image: Pexels