SOUPS

Soup is also known as a complete meal because it was found healthy, nourishing, economical and wholesome. Soup is a liquid food consisting of meat, seafood, vegetables, cereals

HISTORY OF SOUP

The word soup comes from a French  soupe (“soup”, “broth”), which comes through vulgar latin  suppa (“bread soaked in broth”) from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop”, a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.

Soup is said to be as old as the history of cooking. The earliest soup dates back to 20,000 BC in Xianrendong Cave China where the ancient pottery showed signs of scorch marks which suggests that the pot must have been used in making hot soup.

It is thought that ancient soup makers simply dug a hole in the ground, lined it with animal skin, and used it to boil water using hot stones. This practice dates back to the Neanderthals who used to boil bones and render fats that would prevent protein poisoning. This cooking method resulted in a drinkable broth.

Why was Soup Cooked?

Cooking was the best thing that ever happened to the early man after the discovery of fire. The advancements in pottery allowed man to boil meat, grains, roots, and vegetables, instead of eating them using the roasting method.

Submerging the food in water held more importance. It allowed the food to cook faster and thoroughly. It also provided for better flavours in the soup since the food would release its juices and make the soup tastier. Starches made the soup thicker allowing the meal to be more satiating.

The soup is classified into 4 category.

1.Thin soup 2.Thick soup 3. Cold soup 4. International soup.

These 4 soups are further divided into different parts.

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THIN SOUP Most of the thin soups are clear, flavoured nutritious liquids and are prepared without the use of starch. is soup is a thin liquid with small garnish of small cut food items. Thin soups are classified into two parts: passed and unpassed soup

Passed soups are those soups which are mild in flavours. It is a soup which is basically strained after preparation with the help of strainer or a muslin cloth. The speciality of this soup is that it is simple, clear, transparent and flavourful. This can be made with poultry, beef, veal and vegetables. one of the famous example of passed soup is Consomme’.

Unpassed soups are those soup which are prepared same as clear passed soup but it is not strained and has solid ingredients in it. The preparation method is same as passed soup and can be prepared from beef, veal and vegetables. example of unpassed soup is Broth and Boillion.

THICK SOUP

Thick soup are not transparent as thin soups. They are thickened by adding a thickening agent such as a roux(thickening agent prepared by cooking equal amount of refined flour and butter), cornflour, cream or by pureeing one or more ingredients. Thick soup are classified upon the type of thickening agent used in it.

1. Cream soup: This soup is prepared from puree of vegetables, meat, fish and poultry. The name cream soup is normally given after the main ingredients example Crème de Tomate, which is a cream soup made from tomato. Cream soup are generally thickened with roux, liaison, or other thickening agents and little amount of milk or cream is added into the soup which gives smooth creamy texture to the final product.

2. Veloute soup: The French word veloute translated into English which means velvety. This describes the finished texture and appearance of the soup. The main thickening agent is a blond roux or a veloute sauce.

3. Puree soup: Puree soups are thick soups made by cooking and then pureeing vegetables or ingredients used in soup. For example, lentil soup, potato soup and vegetable soup.

4. Bisque: It is a shellfish based soup, which is passed and may be garnished with dices of seafood used in the soup. Traditionally it is thickened with rice and finished with cream. for example lobster bisque.

5. Chowder: Chowder soup is not strained and traditionally they are seafood based soup thickened with potatoes and finished with cream or milk. For example clam chowder. Chowder are from USA and most classical version comes from Manhattan and hence the name Manhattan chowder.

COLD SOUP

As the name suggest, these soups are served cold but not chilled. Chilling would dull the flavour and the soup would taste bland. They do not form a separate classification as they can be thin, thick, passed or unpassed. For example Gazpacho, Vichyssoise and Jellied consommé.

INTERNATIONAL SOUP

These again do not form a separate classification as they represent the region of origin. For example Green turtle soup, French onion soup, Chowder.

List of International soup.

Green turtle soup – England

French onion soup – France

Minestrone – Italy

Ajiaco – Colombia

Gazpacho – Spain

Miso – Japan

Tom Yom – Thailand

Egg drop soup – China

Chowder – America

Paprika – Hungary

Mulligatawny- India

So I hope now you got to know about the history and types of soup.

keep cooking, stay healthy and stay fit.

Your foodie friend

Chef Venkatesh Sharma.