Soup: The Food That’s Keeping Us Warm This Winter

January is National Soup Month. The first soup bowl was made in China in 20,000 BCE. Soup is a very diverse food, having over 300 different varieties.

The first thing you need to know is that there are four main categories of soup, according to the Campbell Soup Company: Thin Soup, Thick Soup, Cold Soup, and National Soup. Each of these categories has sub-categories. For example, Gazpacho and Vichyssoise are both under the category of cold soup.

Thin soups are typically made with broth. Broth is a liquid made from meat or vegetables simmered in water. Usually, more ingredients are incorporated into the broth, unless you make consomme or broth soup. A good example of a thin soup is Matzo Ball Soup. Matzo Ball Soup is sub-categorized as a chunky type of thin soup. It is traditionally made of chicken broth, carrots, celery, chicken breast, dill, onion, parsnip, noodles, and, most importantly, matzoh balls. You can season it as needed. Matzo Ball Soup is part of Jewish culture.

Thick soups are made of pureed or coarse ingredients. Thick soups are usually thickened by flour, starch, or cream. An example of a thick soup is Clam Chowder which is primarily made of clams, cream, potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Clam Chowder came from the Northeastern U.S.

Cold soups are usually water-based with vegetables or fruit mixed in. One example of a cold soup is Gazpacho, which originated in Spain and Portugal and is used to cool off during hot summers. Gazpacho is most commonly made with tomato, but it can be made with squash and cucumber as well.

National soup is when a soup is particularly common in a certain region. National soup is the broadest of all the soup categories and can be considered regardless of type if common to a region. One type of national soup is curry laksa. This thick soup is from Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Curry Laksa consists of curry, vegetable stock, coconut milk, mushrooms, eggplant, and noodles.