🥣 Around the world trip in the world of soups: top 10
Soup is an integral part of the human diet and a universal remedy for all occasions. Some help with colds or hangovers, others help you lose weight, and fish soups are useful in all respects. On April 5, International Soup Day is celebrated all over the world, and we cannot ignore this event. Let's take a look around the world and see what soups are popular in different countries.
Pho Bo (Vietnam)
Pho bo is a traditional Vietnamese beef and noodle soup with herbs and spices. Thanks to its simplicity and cheapness, it has gained wide popularity among the poor local population, who, oddly enough, prefer it for breakfast.
The most important thing in this dish is the rich broth, which, according to the rules, must be cooked for at least 12 hours with the addition of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, saffron and other spices. Street vendors cook it continuously throughout the day in large pots, renewing the ingredients periodically.
This is one of those soups that you have to assemble yourself. A bowl with broth, noodles and pieces of meat is served with a large amount of herbs and spices, which are added to taste.
You can try real pho bo in street cafes that specialize only in this soup. Usually this is a simple establishment with long metal tables, usually open until 11 am. The main landmark is the large number of local people inside.
Price per serving: $1-2.
Paloc Leves (Hungary)
The culinary hallmark of Hungary is goulash, without which not a single meal is complete. As a rule, lunch ends with this dish, since there is no strength to eat anything else. In restaurants, portions are large, thick and filling. Therefore, Paloc Levesh looks more like goulash than soup.
Main ingredients: lamb, onions, sweet and hot peppers are stewed for 2-2.5 hours, after which they are mixed with broth and only then boiled. The final touch – adding a dressing of garlic, sour cream, flour and dill – makes the soup even thicker. And don’t forget about paprika, which is nicknamed “red gold” in the country. It gives the soup not only a rich color, but also a rich aroma.
If you are in Budapest, visit such small establishments as Lanchid Brasserie, Hungarikum Bisztro or For Sale Pub. The way they prepare this soup is simply delicious.
Price per serving: $3.5-4.5
Onion soup (France)
Onion soup is a classic of French cuisine. This soup comes from Lyon and was previously considered the food of the poor. However, gradually they took a closer look at it, tasted it and decided that it would also belong on the table in noble circles. Even the wizards from the Harry Potter universe spoke flatteringly about him.
The word “soup” comes from the Latin word “suppa”, which literally means “a piece of bread dipped in gravy”, and onion soup is a clear example of this. It is the crouton with garlic and melted cheese that is placed on top of the finished portion that distinguishes this dish from all the others.
If you don't like the taste of onions, no problem. During the cooking process it practically disappears. It’s not for nothing that when breading for a long time, white wine is added, and 50 grams of cognac is poured into the broth. Keep in mind, this soup will warm you up at any time of the year, especially since it is prepared in almost all restaurants in France.
Price per serving: from 4€.
Gazpacho (Spain)
The Spaniards are hot-blooded people. Consider the local entertainment: bullfighting, running away from a herd of bulls and La Tomatina – mass shooting of tomatoes at each other. Gazpacho soup is designed to cool down the hot Spanish fervor, so it is served not just cold, but very cold.
Gazpacho is a soup made from crushed tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and pickled onions. Bread crumbs are used to add thickness. All this is crushed to a homogeneous mass, put in the refrigerator for a while, and before serving, diluted with tomato juice or dry white wine.
The key to proper gazpacho is good tomatoes. The finished portion should be provided with a sprig of herbs and sprinkled with lemon juice. Light and refreshing, and most importantly, rich in vitamins, Spanish summer soup can be tried in almost any cafe.
Price per serving: 5€
Miso soup (Japan)
If the Spaniards are famous for their fiery temperament, the Japanese are famous for their longevity. And all because for breakfast, lunch and dinner they eat miso soup or “misoshira” in Japanese. This dish has been one of the most popular in Japan for several centuries.
And this is no coincidence, because miso soup is very healthy. It contains unique ingredients rich in vitamins and nutrients that you cannot find except in Japan.
One of them is soybean-based miso paste. The second ingredient is dried wakame seaweed. Dry fish broth dashi is also an integral part of the soup, even if the main broth is meat. And finally, tofu is a soy cheese that is placed in large slices on a plate.
Price per serving: $2-4
Zhurek (Poland)
Zurek is a unique soup that cannot be found in any other cuisine in the world. But in Poland it is prepared in almost any restaurant and even family. It is the rye sourdough at the heart of the dish that gives it its unique taste.
The starter itself, made from rye crackers, flour, garlic, allspice and bay leaves, should steep for about 4 days. When the smell of lightly salted cucumbers begins to smell, you can start preparing the soup itself. Smoked sausages are boiled, carrots, potatoes, herbs, boiled eggs and sour cream are added.
Either for the sake of economy, or to attract tourists, in Polish restaurants it is customary to serve zurek in a piece of bread instead of a traditional plate. On the other hand, it’s convenient (no need to wash dishes), but most importantly, it’s very tasty.
In the area of the Old Town Market Square in Warsaw there are many cafes with national cuisine, in each of which you can try zurek, but in the Krakow suburb the prices are lower.
Price per serving: $2-3
Chili con carne (Mexico)
Mexican cuisine is famous for its spiciness, and chili con carne soup is not spared from this fate. The name of the dish translated means “chili with meat.” And just a couple of spoons of this culinary delight will turn you from an ordinary tourist into a fire-breathing dragon.
The soup itself is more like a stew. Meat, red beans, vegetables, tomato paste and spices are added to the beef broth. Don't forget about chili peppers. The meat is placed in the form of minced meat, which makes this culinary masterpiece truly thick. The secret ingredient is the cook’s nerves of iron, because all the ingredients must be simmered in one pan for several hours.
Like many national dishes, chili con carne has many cooking variations: vegetarian, with cheese and sour cream, and even with chocolate. However, spiciness is its main feature.
Price per serving: $4.5-5.5
Lohikeitto (Finland)
Despite the fact that a lot of fish is caught in Finland, Finns eat Lohikeitto soup only on holidays. Tourists are lucky in this regard; they can try this magnificent dish any day and in almost any cafe or restaurant in Helsinki.
A more convenient name for this soup is “creamy ukha.” The recipe for the dish is very simple, and if you wish, you can easily prepare it at home. First, cook the fish soup, and towards the end add cream with a fat content of 20%. A couple of tablespoons of butter won't hurt either. Well, if you let the soup brew for a day, it will become even tastier.
Finland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, so if you decide to dine at a restaurant, pay attention to Kalakeitto soup. This is a cheaper option where white fish is used instead of red fish, and milk is used instead of cream.
Price per serving: 11-12€.
Swallow's nest soup (China)
It’s hard to imagine how people came up with the idea of eating bird’s nests. Soup from the home of swiftlets is one of the strangest and most expensive dishes in the world. Just imagine: the price for 1 kg of nests can reach 10 thousand dollars.
But this is not surprising, because nest collectors literally risk their lives in their work, climbing cliffs using fragile wooden ladders. “Harvest” does not happen often: only three times a year – and the labor-intensive cleaning process further increases the cost of the finished product.
It is believed that the soup is very healthy and, when consumed for a long time, can improve the performance of almost all organs. Bird's nests are filled with chicken broth, and the finished portion is sprinkled with green onions and ham. Boiled bird's nests have a jelly-like consistency and may not be to everyone's taste.
Price per serving: $30-100
Shkembe chorba (Bulgaria)
Shkembe chorba is a mandatory dish on the menu of any self-respecting national restaurant in Bulgaria. This is a spicy, hearty and, for some people, incredibly delicious soup that is popular among Bulgarians.
It is prepared from lamb or beef tripe. During cooking, tripes emit a simply terrible “aroma”, so at home only the most persistent ones will go through the entire technical process to the end. But after several hours of cooking, the smell disappears and the tripe can be used in soup.
Shkembe chorba is also called “hangover soup” and is often consumed with cold beer. If you had a wild walk the day before, a bowl of this unusual soup will quickly put you back on your feet. However, keep in mind that not everyone will like it.
There is no middle opinion about shkembe chorba: you will either love this soup from the first spoon, or you will not be able to eat it.
Price per serving: $2