Food Festivals

Soups have been around for a long time. The first soups consisted of a simple broth served with bread to sop it up. The bread was called sop. The word soup is derived from sop.

Ancient documents have revealed that the Greeks sold soup on the streets in 600 B.C.E. Main ingredients included peas, beans, and lentils.

Soup Terminology

Broth	A liquid resulting from cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in water. Synonymous with bouillon.
Consomme	A clear meat or fish broth, served hot or cold. Consomme can be served hot or cold and is often use as a base for other dishes and soups.
Soup	Any combination of vegetables, meat, or fish cooked in a liquid. It may be thick or thin, hot or cold.
Stew	A dish with a thick soup-like broth containing meat and vegetables.
Stock	A liquid that is strained after cooking vegetables, meat, or fish and other seasonings in water.

Famous Soups

Avgolemono	A Greek soup made from chicken broth, rice, egg yolks, and lemon juice.
Billy-bi	A French soup made with mussels, onions, wine, cream, and seasonings.
Bird's Nest	A Chinese soup made from the nests of a small Asian bird.
Bisque	A thick, rich soup usually consisting of pureed seafood (sometimes fowl or vegetables) and cream.
Borscht	A Russian/Polish soup made with fresh beets and assorted vegetables. Sometimes meat and meat stock are added.
Bouillabaisse	A seafood stew originating in Provence, France. It is made with an assortment of fish and shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, garlic, saffron, and herbs. The stew is ladled over thick slices of French bread.
Brunswick Stew	A hearty squirrel meat and onion stew originating in Brunswick County, Virginia. Modern versions substitute chicken for the squirrel.
Burgoo	A thick stew with a combination of meats, including pork, veal, beef, lamb, and poultry along with various vegetables.
Caldo Verde	A Portuguese green soup that is made with kale, potatoes, sausage, and olive oil.
Callaloo	A Caribbean soup made with callaloo leaves, coconut milk, okra, yams, and chiles.
Chowder	A thick, chunky seafood soup. Clam chowder is the most famous. New England-style clam chowder is made with milk or cream, while Manhattan-style clam chowder has a tomato base. Chowder is also used to describe any thick, rich soup containing chunks of food, i.e potato or corn chowder.
Cioppino	A rich Italian fish stew made with tomatoes and a variety of fish and shellfish.
Cock-a-Leekie	A Scottish soup made with chicken broth, chicken, leeks, and prunes.
Fruit Soup	A Scandinavian specialty of cooked, pureed fruit combined with liquid and spices, served hot or cold.
Gazpacho	A cold soup from the Andalusia region in southern Spain. This soup is a blended mixture of a various raw ingredients, including tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumber, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and spices. It is served cold and uncooked.
Gumbo	A specialty of New Orleans and Creole in origin. It is a thick, stew-like dish that can have a variety of ingredients from meat to shellfish. At the base of the soup is a dark roux (similar to gravy).
Irish Stew	A stew made with lamb or mutton chops, potatoes, and onions.
Menudo	A hearty, spicy Mexican soup made with tripe, calves feet, chiles, hominy, and seasonings.
Minestrone	A thick Italian vegetable soup containing pasta, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Mulligatawny	A rich meat or vegetable broth highly seasoned with curry and other spices with bits of poultry or other meats. It may include rice, eggs, coconut shreds, and/or cream. It originating in India.
Mulligan Stew	A stew made from what's on hand including meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
Pepper Pot or Pepperpot	A West Indian stew containing cassarepp, meat or seafood, vegetables, chiles, cayenne pepper, and other seasonings. It is also the name for a thick soup with tripe, meat, vegetables, pepper, and other seasonings. This soup is said to have been created during the bleak winter of 1777-1778, when Washington's army was down to tripe, peppercorns, and various scraps of other food.
Pistou	A French vegetable soup that typically includes green beans, white beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and vermicelli.
Potage	A French soup usually pureed and often thickened with cream or egg yolks.
Scotch Broth	A Scottish soup made with lamb or mutton, barley, and various vegetables.
She-crab	A creamy South Carolina specialty made with crab meat and roe and flavored with sherry and Worcestershire sauce.
Sizzling Rice	A Chinese specialty consisting of a light broth with chicken, pork, and/or shrimp, and various vegetables. At the table deep-fried rice squares are added to the soup were the rice sizzles and pops.
Vichyssoise	A rich, creamy potato and leek soup. It is served cold.

Sources:
HGTV
The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barrons Educational Series)

modified April 6, 2008