Soup is also an important part of the daily diet. To once again emphasize the importance of this dish for human health, a holiday has been created – International Soup Daywhich is celebrated.
The history of soup is as old as the history of cooking. The word “soup” comes from the French “soupe”, and it comes from the Latin “suppa”, which means bread soaked in broth or broth. However, soup as a dish in today’s understanding, which has become a daily meal, developed five centuries ago with the emergence of sturdy dishes that could withstand the cooking process. At the same time, in cold countries and regions, the soup appeared much earlier. For example, in ancient China, it was brewed 100 years BC.
But we are talking about soup, and not about cooking, as a method of cooking for the purpose of thermal processing of food. After all, soup is a “set” of ingredients that create a general taste and composition. And although the methods of cooking, traditions and recipes of soups developed earlier, but soups became widespread in Europe and Russia by the 18th century. Later, this dish spread throughout the world. By the way, in Russia, liquid dishes were first called stews. The word “soup” appeared only in time. Broth in ancient times was called meat, fish and vegetable broths.
In the national cuisine of any country, there are recipes for this dish. The soup is prepared both in summer and in winter. Soups help to fill up and restore strength, tone up. And doctors are confident in the usefulness of soups even during illness, prescribing light broths and vegetable soups to the patient to restore strength. According to doctors, soups have a beneficial effect on the digestive system of the body, stimulating the production of enzymes and gastric juice, and are the prevention of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and even cancer. But it is important to remember that you can not abuse meat, fish and mushroom soups for those who have high acidity of gastric juice and people prone to the formation of kidney stones and gout.
There are approximately 150 types of soups in the world, which are subdivided into over a thousand types, each with variations. Thus, a researcher of the culinary arts pointed out 24 variants of cabbage soup and 18 variants of fish soup.
The main types of soups are classified into the following categories:
1. By serving temperature – cold and hot soups;
2. By calorie content – light and satisfying (rich);
3. By the ingredients used – vegetarian (lean) and soups, which include components of animal origin;
4. Cooking technology – boiled and raw soups; puree soups; refueling or thickened soups;
5. To taste – salty, neutral, sweet.
Which soup recipe is the most correct and popular is difficult to answer. It all depends on the country and personal taste. Soups contain a wide variety of components: meat of birds or animals, vegetables, mushrooms, fish, cereals, beans, dairy products, flour products, herbs, fruits, berries, spices. Depending on the ingredients of the dish and personal preference, soups are served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For example, milk soup is also suitable for a morning meal, while vegetable and meat soup is often served in the afternoon or evening.
As for the “nationalities” of soups, among the prominent representatives of Russian cuisine are cabbage soup, hodgepodge and ukha, okroshka and … Also world famous are Georgian kharcho soup and Spanish gazpacho, French onion soup and Danish pea soup with smoked meats. Fans of oriental cuisine know Japanese miso soup, Chinese hogo and Vietnamese pho. And the list goes on for a long time, there are thousands of soup recipes in the world. And among the unusual ones there is Japanese noodle and chocolate soup, Caribbean – from iguana, Polish beer soup and African – from coffee, bananas and mud from the foot of Kilimanjaro.
Therefore, celebrating International Soup Day, of course, with a traditional feast, give preference not to the usual soup recipe, but to an exquisite and unconventional one. Enjoy your meal!