List of soups facts for kids

A bowl of okroshka soup

A bowl of tortilla soup with all of the garnishes

Soups are delicious liquid foods that people have been making for a very long time, even since ancient times! They can be a warm, comforting meal or a cool, refreshing treat.

Some soups have big pieces of meat or vegetables floating in them. Others are smooth and clear, like a broth. A broth is a tasty liquid made by boiling meat, bones, spices, or vegetables in water. This boiling helps to get all the flavors out into the liquid.

Have you ever heard of a potage? This is a type of thick soup, like a stew or porridge. In some potages, meat and vegetables are cooked together until they become a thick, creamy mix.

Bisques are rich, creamy soups. They are usually made with shellfish like crab or lobster. But you can also make bisques with other seafood or ingredients. Cream soups are similar, but they use dairy products like milk or cream. Sometimes, canned cream soups are used to make quick sauces for casseroles. Chowders are another kind of thick soup. They often have starchy ingredients like potatoes.

Coulis used to mean meat juices. Now, it means thick, smooth purees, often made from fruits or vegetables.

While most soups are served hot, some are always served cold. Other soups can be enjoyed either hot or cold, depending on what you like!

Popular Soups Around the World
More Soups to Discover
Images for kids
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Popular Soups Around the World

Name	Origin	Type	What makes it special?
Ajiaco	Colombia	Chunky	In Bogotá, Colombia, this soup is made with chicken, three kinds of potatoes, and a special herb called guascas. In Cuba, it's a hearty stew with beef, pork, chicken, and root vegetables.
Açorda	Portugal	Chunky	A traditional Portuguese dish. It has thin slices of bread, lots of garlic, chopped coriander, olive oil, vinegar, water, and poached eggs.
Aush, aash, āsh	Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Caucasus	Potage	A group of thick, hot soups. There are many different recipes and regional styles for this soup.
Avgolemono	Greece	Potage	Made with chicken broth, rice or orzo pasta, and lemon. It's thickened with tempered eggs.
Bak kut teh	Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore	Herbal	This soup has meaty pork ribs cooked slowly in a rich broth. The broth is full of herbs and spices like star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and garlic.
Bakso	Indonesia	Meatballs soup	A meatball noodle soup in a rich beef broth. It often includes bok choy, noodles, tofu, and a hard-boiled egg.
Beef noodle soup	East Asia	Noodle	This soup has stewed beef, beef broth, vegetables, and Chinese noodles. It's very popular in China and Taiwan.
Borscht/ Borshch	Ukraine	Chunky	A colorful soup made with cabbage and beets, often with meat. It can be served hot or cold. It's a national dish in Ukraine and popular in Belarus, Poland, and Russia.
Bouillabaisse	France	Fish	A famous fish soup from Provençal, France. It's a flavorful seafood dish.
Bun bo Hue	Vietnam	Noodle	A spicy beef noodle soup from central Vietnam. It's known for its rich and complex flavors.
Cabbage soup, kapusniak, kapustnica, zelnacka	Poland Slovakia Russia Ukraine Czech Republic	Chunky	Made with sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and meat. It's a common and comforting soup in many Eastern European countries.
Canh chua	Vietnam	Fish	A sour fish soup from southern Vietnam. It gets its sour taste from tamarind.
Carrot soup			Made with carrots as the main ingredient. It can be a creamy soup or a clear broth-style soup.
Chicken noodle soup		Noodle	A classic comforting soup with chicken, broth, and noodles, often egg noodles.
Chicken soup		Clear or Stock	Made by simmering chicken with other ingredients. It's a popular dish worldwide.
Cioppino	San Francisco, California	Fish	An Italian-American fish stew from San Francisco. It has tomatoes and a mix of different fish and shellfish.
Cock-a-leekie	Scotland	Chunky	A Scottish soup made with leeks, potatoes, and chicken stock.
Cold borscht / Šaltibarščiai	Lithuania	Cold (chilled)	A bright pink soup made with beetroot (or sometimes tomato). It's very popular in Eastern Europe, especially in Lithuania during summer.
Consommé	France	Clear or Stock	A type of very clear and flavorful soup. It's made from a rich broth or stock that has been clarified.
Corn chowder	United States (New England)	Chowder	Similar to clam chowder but with corn instead of clams. It's a thick and creamy soup.
Cream of mushroom		Cream	A creamy soup made with mushrooms. It's a popular choice for its earthy flavor.
Cullen skink	Scotland	Fish	A thick Scottish soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, onions, and cream.
Egg drop soup	China	Noodle	A savory soup made by slowly pouring beaten eggs into swirling hot water or broth, creating thin strands of egg.
Ezogelin soup	Turkey	Chunky	A savory Turkish soup made with red lentils, bulgur, onion, garlic, and spices like hot pepper and peppermint.
French onion soup	France	Potage	A rich soup made with onions and beef broth. It's often topped with croutons and melted gruyere cheese.
Fruktsoppa	Sweden	Dessert soup	A sweet soup usually made from dried fruits. It's typically served as a dessert, either hot or cold.
Gazpacho	Spain	Cold (chilled)	A refreshing cold soup from Spain. It's made from pureed tomatoes and other vegetables.
Goulash	Hungary	Chunky	A hearty Hungarian soup with beef, pork, paprika, peppers, tomato, potato, and onion. The name means "cowboy" in Hungarian.
Gumbo	United States (Louisiana)	Chunky	A famous soup from Creole cooking in the American South. It often has seafood, like shrimp or crab, and is thickened with a dark roux.
Harira	Magreb	Chunky	A popular soup often eaten as a starter or light meal. It has many variations and is especially common during Ramadan.
Hot and sour soup	Asia	Chunky	Soups from different Asian countries. They all have ingredients that make them both spicy and sour.
Joumou	Haiti	Chunky	A mildly spicy squash soup with beef, potatoes, plantains, and vegetables. It's eaten every January 1st to celebrate Haitian independence.
Kusksu	Malta	Chunky	A traditional Maltese soup made with seasonal broad beans, small pasta beads called kusksu, and fresh ġbejniet cheese.
Laksa	Indonesia and Malaysia	Noodle	A spicy noodle soup from Peranakan cuisine. It's known for its rich, flavorful broth.
Leek soup	Wales	Chunky	A soup made with leeks and often potatoes. It's popular during St. David's Day in Wales.
Lentil soup	Ancient	Chunky	Made with red, green, or brown lentils. It's a very old and popular soup in the Middle East and Mediterranean area.
Lobster bisque	France	Bisque	A rich, creamy soup made with lobster stock, heavy cream, and sherry wine.
Lohikeitto	Finland	Fish	A Finnish soup with salmon, potatoes (and other root vegetables), cream, and dill.
Mami soup	Philippines	Noodle soup	A popular Filipino noodle soup with wheat flour noodles, broth, and meat (chicken, beef, pork) or wonton dumplings.
Manhattan clam chowder	United States (Rhode Island)	Chowder	A clam chowder with a tomato base, unlike the creamy New England version.
Matzah ball soup	Jewish (Ashkenazi)	Chunky	A traditional Jewish soup, especially for Passover. It features fluffy matzah ball dumplings in chicken broth.
Minestrone	Italy	Chunky	A thick Italian soup packed with vegetables and pasta.
Miso soup	Japan	Fermented	A Japanese soup with a Dashi stock base and dissolved miso paste (made from fermented rice, barley, or soybeans). It often has tofu and seaweed.
Mohinga	Burma	Fish	A flavorful Burmese fish soup with chickpea flour, garlic, onions, lemongrass, ginger, fish paste, and catfish. Served with rice vermicelli.
Naengmyeon	Korea	Cold (chilled)	A cold Korean soup with buckwheat noodles in a tangy iced beef broth. It's often topped with vegetables, a pear slice, and a boiled egg.
New England clam chowder	United States (New England)	Chowders	A creamy, thick soup with bacon, clam juice, heavy cream, potatoes, and chopped clams. It's a classic from New England.
Okroshka	Ukraine Russia	Cold (chilled)	A cold Russian and Ukrainian soup made with kvass (a fermented drink), vegetables, and ham.
Oxtail soup		Chunky	Made with beef tails. There are many different versions around the world, including Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, and American styles.
Pasta fagioli	Italy	Noodle	An Italian soup with chicken stock, pasta, and vegetables, often beans.
Peanut soup	Africa	Chunky	A soup made from peanuts, very popular in African cuisine.
Phở	Vietnam	Noodle	A famous Vietnamese noodle soup. Its broth is made by simmering beef bones with spices like star anise and cinnamon. It's served with rice noodles and various meats.
Pozole	Mexico	Chunky	A thick, hearty Mexican soup with pork or chicken, broth, hominy (corn kernels), onion, garlic, and dried chiles.
Pumpkin	North America	Smooth or chunky	A soup made with pumpkin as the main ingredient. It can be creamy or have chunks of pumpkin.
Ramen	Japan	Noodle	A very popular Japanese dish with fresh or dried noodles in different broths. It has many toppings like pork, onion, and herbs.
Rose hip soup (Nyponsoppa)	Sweden	Watery	A sweet soup made from blended rose hips. It's usually served for breakfast or as a dessert.
Saimin	United States (Hawaii)	Noodle	A Hawaiian noodle soup with fresh egg noodles in a fish or shrimp broth. It has influences from many cultures.
Salmorejo	Spain	Cold (chilled)	A cold Spanish soup similar to gazpacho, but thicker. It's made with pureed tomatoes, garlic, and bread crumbs.
Samgyetang	Korea	Chunky	A Korean chicken ginseng soup. It's made with glutinous rice, jujubes, chestnuts, garlic, and ginger.
Scotch Broth	Scotland	Potage	A traditional Scottish soup with mutton, barley, and various vegetables.
Shark fin soup	China	Gelatinous	An expensive Chinese dish made with shark fins. It's known for its unique texture.
Shchi	Russia	Chunky	A traditional Russian cabbage soup, considered a national dish.
Sinigang	Philippines		A Filipino soup or stew known for its sour and savory taste. It often uses tamarind or other sour fruits to get its flavor.
Snert	Netherlands	Chunky	A thick Dutch pea soup, often eaten in winter. It's traditionally served with sliced sausage.
Soto	Indonesia	Chunky	Rich Indonesian soups based on different spice pastes and broths, sometimes with coconut milk. They often have many toppings.
Sour cherry soup	Hungary	Cold (chilled)	A cold, sweet, and sour soup from Hungary. It's made with sour cherries and sour cream.
Split pea	Ancient	Chunky	A soup made from dried peas. It's a very old dish found in many cultures around the world.
Stone soup	Portugal	Chunky	A Portuguese soup with pork products (like chouriço sausage and bacon), red beans, and coriander.
Tom Yum	Thailand	Chunky	A famous Thai soup known for its hot and sour flavors. It has lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce, and lime juice. Often garnished with shrimp.
Tomato soup		Smooth or chunky	A popular soup made with tomatoes as the main ingredient. It's enjoyed in many countries.
Tortilla soup	Mexico	Chunky	A Mexican soup with fried corn tortilla pieces in a broth made from tomatoes and other ingredients.
Tteokguk	Korea	Chunky	A Korean Tteok (rice cake) soup. It's traditionally eaten during New Year's Day.
Turkey soup	United States and Canada	Chunky	Made with turkey stock and meat, vegetables (like onions, carrots, celery), and noodles or rice.
Ukha or yushka	Russia Ukraine	Fish	A clear fish soup from Russia and Ukraine. It's made with different types of fish, vegetables, and herbs.
Vegetable soup		Clear or Stock	A simple and healthy soup where vegetables are the main ingredients.
Vichyssoise	France	Cold (chilled)	A creamy potato and leek soup from France, usually served cold with chives.
Wedding soup	United States (Italian–American)	Clear or Stock	An Italian-American soup with green vegetables, small meatballs, and chicken broth.