We cannot imagine our life without soup: hot, thick and rich or light vegetables, cold summer okroshka, gazpacho or fragrant and hot borsch - they have firmly taken their place in our daily diet. In winter, they warm and give strength, and in the summer they give coolness and freshness. There are everyone's favorite types of soups, but there are also very unusual and exotic ones. For example, Chinese bird nest soup or kiburu, which is originally from Tanzania, boil it with the addition of ordinary land.
But in traditional cooking, all soups are divided into three large groups: hot, cold and sweet.
Hot soups
All of them are based either on various broths (from meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms), or on milk. As, for example, milk soup with vermicelli, known to everyone since childhood. The technology of their preparation is similar to each other. First, the liquid base is cooked. And then prepared vegetables, mushrooms, legumes, cereals and flour products (pasta, noodles, noodles) are introduced into it in a certain sequence.
The following hot types of soups are distinguished by the method of preparation: dressing, mashed potatoes, transparent.
Dressing soups
The largest and most famous group are filling soups. The main ingredient is sautéed vegetables (or a toast known to all housewives), with or without flour. The technology for preparing such soups includes such stages as cooking the broth, preparing vegetables and sautéing, adding them to the soup and then dressing with spices and herbs. The most popular types of dressing soups are cabbage soup known for centuries in Russia, pickle, borsch, hodgepodge, Italian minestrone, potato with vegetables, pasta and legumes (bean, pea).
Mashed soup
Puree soups have become popular on our tables quite recently. But in European cuisine they occupy almost the first place among the first courses. The composition of the ingredients is similar to filling soups, the difference concerns only one stage of preparation. All components (vegetables, legumes, cereals, mushrooms, meat) of this category of soup are crushed with a blender or rubbed through a sieve to a state of homogeneous puree, then they are added to the prepared broth, which is cooked for a little more time. For taste and greater nutritional value, such soups are seasoned with cream and butter. Served with croutons or crackers. This vast group includes various types of soups, and their preparation can be either elementary simple or quite complicated.
Transparent soups
Transparent soups consist of two components: broth and side dish. They can be served both together and separately. The broth is cooked, strictly observing all the technology, so that it remains transparent. Garnish can have various components and is prepared separately. According to the method of serving, it is conditionally divided into two groups: the first are served together with the broth (dumplings, pieces of meat or fish, dumplings, dumplings, eggs, etc.), and the second separately (cakes, pies, croutons, pies, crackers). The following soups of this category are most popular: rich soup, sophisticated French consomme, various stews and unusual Chinese danhuatan.
Cold soups
They are simply indispensable in the hot summer and are prepared most often from seasonal vegetables. For a liquid base, kvass, fermented milk products (kefir, ayran, fermented baked milk, milk, yogurt), vegetable juices and decoctions are used. The cooking technology is quite simple, and the main highlight is that the temperature of the soup should be no higher than 14 degrees. If desired, you can add food ice, which will also give the dish an effect. Many types of soups are very popular from this category . Almost everything is known for their recipes : traditional Russian okroshka, beetroot soup, spicy and spicy Spanish gazpacho, a hearty Bulgarian tarator.
Sweet soups
Very unusual and bright category of first courses. The basis is used berry and fruit juices, syrups, mashed potatoes. As a side dish served dumplings, puddings, sweet casseroles, meringues, corn or oatmeal, granola. From seasonings, choose cinnamon, cloves, ginger, zest and citrus juice, and you can decorate with whipped cream or sour cream. There are various types of fruit soups, the most popular in Latvian and Lithuanian national cuisine.
Soup is an integral part of a hearty and tasty lunch. Given all the variety of types and methods of preparation, you can incredibly long and every day to please the family and loved ones with something new and original.