Cheese soup facts for kids

A tasty four-cheese soup served at a restaurant.

Cheese soup is a yummy kind of soup that uses cheese as its main ingredient. It also has milk, broth, or stock to make it creamy and delicious. Lots of other ingredients can be added too, making many different kinds of cheese soups!

You can find cheese soup in many parts of the world, like America, Colombia, Mexico, Switzerland, France, and Tibet. Sometimes, cheese soups that are made in large factories might have special ingredients added to help them last longer and taste even better.

What is Cheese Soup?

Churu is a Tibetan blue cheese soup.

A warm bowl of broccoli cheese soup.

Cheese soup is a popular dish in many countries. For example, in Colombia, there's a traditional cheese soup called Mote de queso. In Spanish, "cheese soup" is called "sopa de queso." People in Switzerland call their cheese soup Kassuppe, and it's a special dish in Central Switzerland. There's even a Tibetan cheese soup called Churu, which is made with a special Tibetan cheese also called churu.

Ingredients for Cheese Soup

Cheese is the most important part of cheese soup! It's usually added in small pieces or grated. You can use many kinds of cheese, from hard ones like Cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan, to softer ones like farmer cheese, Gouda, muenster cheese, queso blanco, and queso Chihuahua. The cheese makes the soup taste great and adds good nutrition.

Sometimes, people use processed cheese (like Velveeta) instead of natural cheese. Some cheese soups can be very rich and creamy because they use ingredients like butter and heavy cream, along with the fat from the cheese. If you want a lighter soup, you can use low-fat cheese or fat-free milk and broth.

Milk or broth (like chicken broth) makes up the liquid part of the soup. Other things you might find in cheese soup include half and half, beer, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic, and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and celery. Spices and seasonings are also added for extra flavor. Toppings like Croutons are often used too!

How Cheese Soup is Made

Sometimes, cheese soup is cooked in a special pot called a bain-marie. This is like a double boiler, where the soup pot sits inside a larger pot of hot water. This method helps stop the soup from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot, which can happen if it's cooked directly on the stove. A double boiler is also great for reheating cheese soup.

Factory-Made Cheese Soups

Cheese soups that are made in large factories might have special ingredients called additives. These additives help the soup taste better and stay fresh for a longer time. For example, some factory-made cheese soups use special butter-like products to boost their flavor. Also, some use gels made from pectin to replace some of the fat.

Different Kinds of Cheese Soups

A bowl of beer cheese soup.

A simple mozzarella soup.

Here are some of the many types of cheese soups you might find:

• Beer cheese soup
• Blue cheese soup – This soup is popular in Ireland and other places.
• Broccoli cheese soup – A classic combination of broccoli and cheese.
• Caldo de queso – A special cheese soup from Sonora, Mexico.
• Cauliflower cheese soup – Similar to broccoli cheese soup, but with cauliflower.
• Cheddar soup – You can buy this soup in cans, or make it fresh at home. Cooked broccoli is often added to it.
• Cheeseburger soup – This soup tastes like a cheeseburger in a bowl!
• Churu – A Tibetan cheese soup made with a unique Tibetan cheese. Sometimes, lamb is added to this soup. People might also use blue cheese if they don't have churu cheese.
• Cottage cheese soup
• Cream cheese soup
• Cream of cheese soup – A very creamy and smooth cheese soup.
• Mote de queso – A traditional Colombian cheese soup, almost like a chowder. It's made with yam and cheese, often farmer's cheese. Many people in the Córdoba Department of Colombia think this soup is very special and has a long history.
• Mozzarella soup
• Nacho cheese soup – Tastes like the cheese sauce you put on nachos.
• Parmesan cheese soup
• Soupe au fromage – A traditional and simple soup from the south of France.

Images for kids

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  Homemade broccoli cheese soup

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  Broccoli cheese chowder

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  Cauliflower cheese soup prepared with blue cheese, topped with olive oil

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  Cheddar soup prepared with white cheddar

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  Cheeseburger soup at a restaurant

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  Cream cheese soup

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  Parmesan potato soup topped with bacon

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  Potato cheese soup

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  A cheese soup prepared with reindeer cheese