Soups around the World

July 2000

  Cooks across the globe simmer bones; meat, poultry or seafood scraps; or bits of vegetables, then combine this stock with other ingredients and serve up a dish called soup. From miso and minestrone to wonton and callaloo, soups take on a wide range of light or hearty forms while incorporating an infinitely variable assortment of ingredients.

  Soup pots in the Caribbean often contain pepperpot, blaff (fish-based), quimbombo (okra-based), mondongo (tripe-based) or callaloo. Ingredients such as plantains, yams, taro, fish, okra, salt cod, coconut milk, Scotch bonnets, thyme, polenta, nutmeg and bay leaf play a starring role in Caribbean soups.

  Sopa Azteca with tortillas; avocado or lime soups; rice-and-chicken asapao; potato-based locra; sopa de flor de calabaza (squash blossom); sancocho with various meats, plantains and yams; meat and cornmeal posole; and mole de olla (chili beef) are popular soups in Latin America. Other soups make use of beans, cheeses, boiled eggs, cabbage and hominy, and are seasoned with annatto, onions, chiles, oregano, clove, cilantro, oregano and parsley.

  Hearty Mediterranean soups come in the form of bouillabaisse, potage, pot au feu, gazpacho, minestrone, zuppa de verdura (vegetable), vichyssoise and avgolemono, with chicken, mint and lemon. Common seasonings include sofrito, bouquet garni, cumin, saffron, parsley, garlic, basil and black pepper.

  In the Middle East, hearty soups such as ful nabed with fava beans, lemon and parsley; chicken-and-lemon hamud; and harira with chicken, lamb and tomatoes are served. Other popular ingredients include lentils, haricot beans, fava beans, chickpeas, spinach and yogurt. Soups are frequently seasoned with lemon, garlic, cumin, dill, cayenne and parsley.

  In western Africa, stew-like soups with root vegetables, peanuts, chicken and coconut are common, while lamb, yogurt and mutton soups are popular in North Africa.

  Popular Chinese soups include wonton, congee, hot-and-sour, ginseng, shark's fin, winter melon and sesame-flavored tong shui. Korean soups include seaweed, chicken-and-ginger, beef rib and chongol, with meat, vegetables and tofu. In Japan, where clear soups are popular, miso soup with rice and pickles frequently forms the basis of a main meal.

  In Vietnam, spicy pho bos with beef, fish sauce and vermicelli are popular as breakfast foods, as are aromatic fish ball-and-noodle soups. In Thailand, spicy, coconutty tom kha gai with chicken and galangal, hot-and-sour tom yam goong, cellophane noodle soup and tamarind-based gaeng som are favorites. Malaysia and Singapore serve up a variety of fresh noodle- and rice-based soups along with fiery, pungent laksas, or curried noodles.

  Spicy, vegetable-based rasam, lentil-based sambar, cold yogurt soup and mulligatawny with its black peppercorns and chickpeas are typically eaten in southern India.

  Finishing touches for soups from all nations come in the form of parsley, cilantro, croutons, bacon bits, sautéed onions, scallions and crunchy vegetables that add visual appeal and contrasting texture.