Common Soups Across The Globe

Soup is such a fun and unique food item that has evolved massively over the years. Did you know that the earliest sighting of soup can be dated as far back as 20,000 BC? Evidence suggested that the creation of soup was found in In Xianrendong Cave, China, where ancient pottery showed scorch marks, which would suggest the user was making a hot soup of some kind.

Furthermore, cold soup is historically made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. On the other hand, hot soups are formed by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth. With all this useful and interesting knowledge regarding the generation of soup, this blog article is going to discuss the most popular soup around the world in today’s modern age. 

Chowder Soup (USA)

To start our list of most popular soup recipes across the globe, we have the USA’s ‘Chowder soup’. Chowder Soup is a traditional North American soup made with cream, fish/shellfish (especially clams) and seafood. 

Historically, the soup was brought to America back when Britain colonised North America back in 1607 and since then, recipes for this dish have been found all across the continent. Another interesting fact is that there is a National Chowder Soup Day in America which falls on 25th February.

Finally, what’s also interesting about the USA Chowder recipe is that there are several varieties of the famous soup, including the most popular New England Clam Chowder, Manhattan Clam Chowder and Rhode Island Clam Chowder. 

Ramen (Japan)

Next on our list we have the infamous ‘Ramen soup’. Asian (particularly East asian) food has always been recognised by the diversity of flavours of the same dish. Ramen consists of a broth based on stock such as pork, fish or chicken, combined with a variety of other ingredients. Examples consist of dried baby sardines, onions and kelp.

As a side dish, several ingredients are used, including vegetables and boiled eggs. An interesting fact regarding Ramen is that its origin is actually Chinese. This highly plausible theory according to historians states that it was first introduced in Japan in 1859. Finally, in the modern day ramen has evolved significantly with now having options vegetable-based variations. 

Wonton Soup (China)

Sticking with the oriental theme, ‘Wonton soup’ is a dish that is highly popularised and loved by many people in China. Previous evidence suggested that the origin of this soup can be displayed as far back as the Qing Dynasty in 1644. There are many variations of the soup depending on which part of Asia you go to. The soup mainly mixes different vegetables and meats in light and aromatic broths. Furthermore, a fine dough made with flour and eggs, (called wonton) is cooked in a spicy broth with vegetables and meat. Typically, the way wonton soup order is presented in the following sequence: 

• Serving spoon at the bottom
• Wontons 
• Garnishing
• Noodles
• Soup

The reasoning for this specific order is to not overcook the noodles so otherwise it can become a soggy mess. Today it is consumed throughout the country, especially in the Southeast Asia region, and across the globe in some cases. 

Gazpacho (Spain)

Next, we have Spain’s most famous and popular soup – Gazpacho. The soup 

Originates from Andalusia – the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular, Spain. It’s a cold soup made of raw, blended vegetables such as tomatoes, garlic, onions and peppers. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal, particularly during hot summers, since it is refreshing and cool.The name Gazpacho derives from the Arabic language and simply means wet bread, since this soup is usually eaten cold accompanied with a piece of bread. Nowadays, the Gazpacho recipe has several variations, which include the use of almonds, avocado, melon, watermelon, among other ingredients. Now-a-days they are usually served as a side appetizer.

Tomato Soup (UK)

To round off our list of popular soups across the globe, we have the UK’s traditional ‘Tomato soup’. Tomato soup has been voted the United Kingdom’s favourite soup flavour. Well over a quarter of the British public picked tomato as their most-loved soup. According to the statistics, 37% of UK citizens rated tomato soup as their favourite, with men and women of all ages agreeing on this topic. In order to perfect this traditional UK soup, you will need: 

• A utility knife to finely chop up tomatoes and onions 
• Butter
• Onion
• Tomatoes (fresh or canned) 
• Salt (Optional) 

To cook tomato soup, simply acquire a pot, place it over medium heat and melt the butter. Add half an onion that’s been cut into large wedges and a large can of tomatoes (freshly chopped tomatoes are ideal but if not, canned is just as suitable). Add water or broth and simmer the contents. Bring everything to a low simmer, add some salt (optional) and leave it alone for about 40 minutes. Finally blend the contents together for the perfect tomato soup.