Greetings all!
As the weather is slowly turning cooler, do you cook more soups to keep warm? Did you know that soup has a long history around the world, probably going back to prehistoric times when early people started cooking food in water in turtle shells, bamboo, and finally metal pots in Bronze Age?
Here are some delicious soups from around the world!
Banga [Nigeria]
This soup has fresh catfish, beef and dried seafood, with fruits from the oil palm tree and spices.
Beef pho [Vietnam]
This aromatic rice noodle soup is one of the most recognized Vietnamese dishes and originally was served with slices of raw beef cooked gently in broth.
Borscht [Ukraine]
This beet soup cooked across Eastern Europe is one of my favorite dishes all year round. You can read my Borscht recipe post HERE.
Bouillabaisse [France]
In this fisherman’s stew, fresh fish from the sea is cooked with saffron, olive oil, fennel, garlic and tomatoes.
Caldo verde [Portugal]
This hearty “green broth” soup from Portugal is made with potatoes, chouriço sausage (similar to chorizo but not the same), and collard greens or kale.
Chorba frik [Algeria, Libya and Tunisia]
This North African Soup features tomato broth and aromatic spices, with chickpeas and stewed chicken, beef, mutton or lamb.
Chupe de camarones [Peru]
This creamy soup is for shrimp lovers – and it has potatoes, corn, and aji amarillo (a chili pepper).
Gazpacho [Spain]
This soup is perfect for hot days, with its refreshing combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic and olive oil, and stale breadcrumbs. Did you know that “Arabs brought the dish to the Iberian Peninsula centuries before Spaniards tasted tomatoes, a New World ingredient. The original was a blend of bread, garlic and olive oil, pounded in a mortar and seasoned with vinegar?” You can read my Gazpacho recipe post HERE.
Groundnut soup [West Africa]
This creamy, rich and salty soup with meat, fish or chicken simmered into a thick peanut stew is popular across West Africa.
Gumbo [United States]
Gumbo is usually associated with Louisiana and was influenced by West African, Native Choctaw and French cuisines. There are multiple ways to make this soup – with seafood, chicken and sausage, and ground, dried sassafras leaves - and many of them are presented at the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff, which just took place this past weekend in Louisiana!
Harira [Morocco]
This chickpea stew – with cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and pepper in a savory tomato broth - is also popular in Algeria and can be vegetarian or include lamb.
Kharcho [Georgia]
This Georgian soup is made with fatty beef and ground walnuts with tkemali (a tart plum sauce) and various spices.
Lanzhou beef noodle soup [China]
In this traditional soup, hand-shaped noodles are added into a bowl of beef broth, tender beef, radish, chili oil and fresh herbs.
Mohinga [Myanmar]
Street
vendors sell this this soup out of giant vats, where fish and rice noodles are
simmered in an aromatic broth with herbs and thickened with toasted rice powder.
Menudo [Mexico]
Menudo
is a traditional Mexican soup made with tripe, hominy, raw onions, and cilantro in a garlicky broth. This soup is not only popular at weddings and other big occasions, but also is said to cure hangovers!
Moqueca de camarão [Brazil]
Another soup for shrimp-lovers! Traditionally, this soup is cooked in a handmade pot made from black clay and the sap of mangrove trees, and then brought to the table in the same authentic vessel. What a lovely tradition!
Soto ayam [Indonesia]
This chicken noodle soup is made with a lot of spices - fresh turmeric, star anise, cinnamon, lemongrass and lime leaves – and also has an interesting addition of soft-boiled eggs. I love this twist and now add hard- or soft-boiled eggs to many of my vegetarian soups!
Tom yum goong [Thailand]
There are many tom yum soup varieties in Thailand - tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means 'mixed'. Tom yum goong is an aromatic version with prawns and Shiitake mushrooms.
Tonkotsu ramen [Japan]
Did you know that in Japan, loudly slurping your ramen soup shows respect to your ramen chef? So go ahead and slurp this classic ramen soup - flavored with pork bones, slices of pork belly and noodles!
Yayla çorbasi [Turkey]
This creamy yogurt soup with boiled rice or barley and some dried mint is not only delicious but is also considered medicinal, and some Turkish hospitals serve it to recovering patients!
Adas b’ Hamoud [Lebanon]
A friend from Lebanon shared a recipe for this Swiss Chard and Lentil Soup with Lemon Juice that looks very tasty. And this healthy soup was also featured on the Blue Zone site!
Sinigang [Phillipines]
This soup was named the Best Soup in the World in 2021 by Taste Atlas. Its sour and savory taste is usually associated with tamarind.
Sources:
- https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/worlds-best-wellness-soups/index.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_yum
- https://slurpinramenbar.com/
- https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/food-drinks/sinigang-named-world-best-soup-taste-atlas-2021/
- https://www.bluezones.com/recipe/lebanese-style-lentil-soup-with-swiss-chard-and-lemon-adas-b-hamod/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinigang
Have you tried any of these soups? Which one is your favorite? Drop me a line!
Adas b’ Hamoud [Lebanon] Is my very favorite. I grew up eating this and it brings back very good memories with my dad having lunch together.
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