10 worldly soups you’ll want to try

Is yet another pot of tomato soup simmering on your stove? Or are you thinking about having the same vegetable soup again tonight (your vegetable soup will be amazing with these 4 secret ingredients, by the way)? Then we have a few delicious alternatives for you. You’ll definitely want to make the worldly soups below at least once. 

Not that there’s anything wrong with tomato or vegetable soup, of course. But we like to vary things with the soups below.

1. Japanese miso soup

Miso soup is an essential part of Japanese food culture. It’s a clear broth made with miso paste. Miso has a distinctly umami flavor: savory and salty. The soup is topped up with fresh vegetables and tofu. Japanese people love eating the soup with every meal. As a side dish, a filling dinner, or even for breakfast. Who can blame them!

2. Borscht from Ukraine

Borscht is a colorful Ukrainian soup. Be honest, wouldn’t you want to eat such a gorgeous pink-red soup just for its color? It gets that color from pink beets and tomatoes. The beets give the dish a lovely earthy flavor. It also mainly contains legumes and various vegetables. To make it a little fresher, a dollop of yogurt or sour cream is often stirred in. Just look at how beautiful it is.

3. Italian ribollita

Ribollita is a rustic peasant dish that originally comes from Tuscany. It was created to use up stale bread: a practical meal, in other words. The soup is incredibly filling. Not only because of the bread, but also because of the chunky pieces of cabbage and legumes in it. You make ribollita a day before eating it and cook it a second time before serving. As with many other dishes, the flavor is even better then.

4. French bouillabaisse

I can’t think of any dish that sounds as beautiful as ‘bouillabaisse.’ And I don’t think I know a soup that’s more impressive than this one either. Bouillabaisse is a fish soup that’s incredibly rich in flavor. The soup originated in Marseille, France. It contains a sea of fish varieties, such as monkfish, sea bass, conger eel, mullet, red mullet, and rouget. Sometimes you’ll also find prawns and mussels in it. And bouillabaisse is certainly not lacking in flavorings either. Garlic, bay leaf, citrus, and tomato turn it into a true explosion of flavor.

5. Spanish gazpacho

No Spanish summer evening is complete without a bowl of gazpacho. The cold soup is the ultimate refreshment on a hot day. Since you don’t have to heat it, it’s ready in no time, too. The base is made with tomato, bell pepper, and cucumber. Garlic, olive oil, and a chili pepper give the soup extra flavor. The raw garlic and pepper give the gazpacho an extra kick. With crusty bread, you can mop up the last bits of gazpacho from the bowl. Phew… Is it summer yet?

6. Vietnamese pho

Pho is a true Vietnamese classic. It’s a noodle soup with meat broth, often containing pieces of sliced meat as well. The noodles, meat, and added vegetables keep you nicely full for a long time. What’s especially wonderful about pho is that it’s a soup meant to be eaten slowly with your fellow diners. Good company and a bowl of pho are inseparable. There’s something we speedy eaters who wolf down our food could still learn from.

7. Thai Tom Yam

Anyone who wants to try Thai Tom Yam needs to enjoy a bit of heat. No, this spicy little number isn’t for the faint-hearted. It contains plenty of chili, and you need to be able to handle it. But honestly… There are hardly any soups as flavorful as this one. At its heart are large, juicy prawns, which give the soup some body. Other flavorings include lemongrass, fish sauce, and lime juice. These are all flavors we don’t use very often in our own kitchens, and that’s exactly what makes you want to try it as soon as possible.

8. Moroccan harira

Moroccan harira has a festive touch. When Moroccans have something to celebrate, this hearty soup is always on the table. A party to eat, in other words! Harira is wonderfully spiced: turmeric, ginger, pepper, parsley, and cilantro are almost always included in this soup. Thanks to the legumes—especially chickpeas—the soup can easily pass as a complete meal. We recommend this recipe for quick harira.

9. Menudo from Mexico

Menudo is a Mexican meat soup. The meat comes in the form of beef tripe (pork can also be used). Does that put you off? It shouldn’t, because it makes the soup incredibly flavorful. Its flavor is enhanced by the aromatic broth in which it simmers. Hot peppers, tomato, lime, onion, oregano, and cilantro are ingredients you’ll find in every menudo. Extra delicious with some fresh tortilla.

10. Lohikeitto from Finland

I’ll admit that not all Scandinavian dishes are equally appealing… But Lohikeitto certainly isn’t one of them. Lohikeitto is a very approachable soup that’s also extremely healthy. It contains potatoes, leeks, carrots, and pieces of salmon. Okay, cream may be less healthy, but it does make it even more delicious.

Read also:

• Delicious recipe from a Michelin-starred chef: green gazpacho with burrata
• This is the secret ingredient for the most delicious onion soup
• The soup maker: a must-have or a waste of money?

Source: finedininglovers