Soups dishes play a very important role on the menu and are served as appetiser to stimulate the appetite for the rest of the heavier foods to follow. They can be divided into three basic categories namely thick soups and thin soup which is further divided into passed soup, unpassed soup, cold soup as well as international soups which are basically special and famous or national soup from various countries.
Clear soups are a type of thin soup. Clear soups are also called passed soups, as any chunks of ingredients are taken out of the soup, and you are left with a liquid soup. Consommé, a French clarified meat or fish broth, is a classic version of a clear soup. Clear soup can offer a wide range of nutritional benefits while keeping your digestive tract clear. This is why clear soup is so popular in hospitals or as food when you’re feeling under the weather
Broth, or bouillon, is a common clear soup. Broths come in a variety of flavours, including chicken, turkey, beef, vegetable and mushroom. Bouillon can also come in a powdered form, and stock cubes are a famous example of a powdered broth or bouillon base.
Chunky soups are stock based with the vegetables, meat or combination of both left in. A minestrone is a famous example of a chunky soup, and the Jewish Matzah ball soup is another way to create a tasty soup. You can also call a chunky soup an unpassed soup, as the soup has not been strained of any chunks before serving.
Thick soups are soups that are thickened using flour, corn-starch, cream, vegetables, gelatines and other ingredients. Depending on how you thicken a soup, you can get different textures and flavours. For example, a potage of boiled meat and vegetables results in a thick, mushy soup. Conversely, a bisque is thickened with rice, which creates a smoother soup.
A bisque is a creamy, thick soup that includes shellfish. Bisque is a method of extracting flavour from imperfect crabs, lobsters and shrimp that are traditionally not good enough to send to market. In an authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup. Bisques are thickened with rice, which can either be strained out, leaving behind the starch or pureed during the final stages.
“Cream of…” soups come in a variety of flavours and are the main type of soup found in our Campbell’s Condensed Soup cans. Cream soups are traditionally a basic roux, thinned with cream or milk and combined with a broth of your preferred ingredient. Typical flavours include cream of tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup. The addition of cream creates a thick and satisfying soup that is filling and flavoursome.
Condensed soups were created by Campbell’s back in 1897 by Dr John T Dorrance and have been a staple on shelves ever since. It’s what we’re most known for, and across the world, cupboards are stocked with our condensed cream soups, and used as a standalone flavour, or as an ingredient in another recipe. Condensed soups are made to be diluted with a can full of water, and the flavour and cream is packed into the smaller tin. This makes them much better for cupboard storage, while resulting in a tasty and rich soup.
A chowder is most commonly associated with New England, and originating in America, with corn chowder and clam chowders being two of the most popular types.Normally milky thanks to heavy creams or milks added, with unpureed seafood such as clams or clam juice also added. They’re thickened with crackers or ships biscuits. Chowders quickly became popular seafaring food, as it was simple to prepare and surprisingly good despite the often lack of ingredients at hand.
Potage is a Medieval soup from Northern France. To make potage, you take a variety of vegetables that you grow together in your garden add some meat and then boil it all together with water to form a thick mush. Similar to potage is pottage. Pottage is an ancient thick soup made by boiling vegetables and grains. It was typically boiled for several hours until the entire mixture took on a homogeneous texture and flavour. It was intended to break down complex starches and to ensure the food was safe for consumption.
Pureed Soups Probably the most commonly handmade type of thick soup, pureed soups are made by boiling vegetables together with a stock base, and then when soft enough, blending together to make a puree. While these can be cream-based, most pureed soups are often formed from a base of a stock cube, water, onions and a chosen vegetable, such as carrot or parsnip.
Cold soups are popular in some cultures, often those nearer the equator, as they provide a refreshing yet filling lunch or starter! Gazpacho is probably one of the most well-known types of cold soup, but other cultures also have popular cold soups.
