Soup

Spain

Abajao is a traditional soup originating from Arcos de la Frontera. This thick soup is usually made with a combination of asparagus, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, bread from the previous day, and olive oil. The garlic and onions are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil and mixed with chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and asparagus. The mixture is saut&eacute;ed, covered with water, and brought to a boil. After some simmering, the bread is cut into slices and added to the pan until it's well blended with the rest of the ingredients. Abajao is typically served warm.

Abajao

Aberaeron broth is a traditional soup originating from Wales. It's usually made with a combination of bacon, beef, white cabbage, potatoes, leeks, carrots, parsnips, oatmeal, and seasonings. The cabbage is washed and shredded, and all the other vegetables are peeled and cut. The bacon and beef are diced. The meat and the vegetables (except the leeks) are placed in a large saucepan, covered with water, seasoned, and slowly simmered for about two hours. The leeks are added near the end of cooking, and the soup is then served while still hot.

Aberaeron Broth

Ghana

Kontomire soup or ebunu ebunu (green green) is a flavorful Ghanaian soup made from cocoyam (taro) leaves, smoked fish, mushrooms, and snails. Cocoyam leaves give the soup its characteristical green color. The soup is a traditional dish of the Akan tribe, who often serve it with fufu, rice, or boiled ripe plantains.

Abunuabunu

Cameroon

Traditionally prepared and consumed by the Ngemba people from the Northwest Region of Cameroon, achu soup consists of boiled and pounded cocoyams, canwa (lime stone), water, spices, and palm oil. The palm oil changes the color of the soup to yellow, which is the reason why achu soup is also known as yellow soup. When served, it is typically paired with beef or fish, which can be boiled, fried, or smoked.

Achu soup

The Portuguese a&ccedil;orda is a popular bread soup appearing in numerous varieties throughout the country. Most a&ccedil;orda soups have a smooth and thick consistency and employ a variety of pounded herbs, garlic, olive oil, and boiling water that is poured over diced bread and left to soften. Two of the most famous types include the seafood-based a&ccedil;orda de marisco and a&ccedil;orda Alentejana, a regional specialty in which whole slices of bread are served over the broth. Even though it originated as a poor man&rsquo;s dish, today these comforting soups represent an integral part of Portuguese national cuisine.

Açorda

Portugal

This hearty bread soup is a Portuguese classic that combines thick, crusty slices of rustic bread and a flavorful broth that is infused with garlic, olive oil, and generous amounts of fresh cilantro or mint. Although it occasionally employs meat or sausages, in its basic form the soup is traditionally served topped with a poached egg. Also popular is the seafood version of the dish, which typically employs cod fish and goes under the name of a&ccedil;orda de bacalhau &agrave; Alentejana. Like other varieties of a&ccedil;orda, Alentejana was invented as a frugal meal that soon developed into a true Portuguese classic.

Açorda à Alentejana

A&ccedil;orda &agrave; Algarvia is a traditional seafood soup from the Algarve region and a version of the a&ccedil;orda, a traditional bread soup. It is made by cooking a mixture of seafood like mussels, clams, and cockles in a broth with garlic and olive oil. The broth is then used to soak slices of homemade bread, creating a thick, hearty mixture. Fresh coriander and eggs are added to enrich the dish. The result is a flavorful, seafood-infused bread soup, traditionally enjoyed as a comforting and satisfying meal in the Algarve.

Açorda à Algarvia

Italy

Originally a peasant food, acquacotta (lit. cooked water) is a traditional Tuscan soup whose origins date back to the Middle Ages when it was prepared in the coastal region of Maremma. Back then, acquacotta was the typical lunch of butteri Maremmani, the cattle breeders who populated the area, but it was also popular among charcoal burners who were living in Tuscan forests. Acquacotta was once made with water, stale bread, onions, tomatoes, and olive oil, along with various vegetables and leftover ingredients that may have been available. Today&rsquo;s modern cuisine often uses fresh or toasted bread, while the other ingredients may vary since there are multiple variations of this dish in existence. A simple, yet full-flavored soup, the hearty acquacotta is typically served with a poached egg and best enjoyed while it's still hot.

Acquacotta

Nigeria

Afang is a traditional soup hailing from the southeastern parts of Nigeria. It's made with a combination of afang leaves, water leaves, dried fish, beef, onions, red palm oil, ground crayfish, and seasoning cubes. The afang leaves are ground or pounded and the onions are chopped before the beef is boiled with the onions and seasoning cubes in a small quantity of water. When done, the dried fish is added with the palm oil, ground pepper, afang leaves, and water leaves. Once the leaves become tender and the liquids evaporate a bit, the soup is simmered for a short while before it's ready to be served. Afang soup is typically served at festive events such as weddings and celebrations. It's especially popular among the Efiks, people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

Afang Soup

Aguadito de pollo is a traditional soup prepared with a combination of large chicken pieces, aji amarillo peppers, peas, corn, onions, yellow potatoes, rice, and cilantro, which gives the soup its typical flavor and green color. In the country, this soup is well-known as being a great hangover cure, but it is also often prepared as a flu remedy. Due to the fact that the soup is so popular in Peru, there are many variations, prepared with turkey, duck, mussels, fish, or scallops instead of chicken. Once done, aguadito de pollo is usually served in big bowls with lime wedges on the side.

Aguadito de pollo

Ajiaco is the national dish of Colombia, a flavorful chicken and potato soup with the addition of herbs and corn. Considered a poor man's dish in the past, ajiaco must include three varieties of potatoes cooked together, abundant and inexpensive in Colombia. It is best to use the local varieties of potatoes: the waxy sabanera, the tiny papas criollas and the soft pastusa. These varieties provide a thick and creamy texture of the final dish. Simmered in chicken or beef broth until they break down, the potatoes also provide a unique combination of flavors. The soup is seasoned with a Colombian herb called guascas that provides an intense, grassy flavor that is of key importance for an authentic ajiaco. There is also a vegetarian version where the shredded chicken meat is omitted, and when ajiaco is done, it is often served with avocado slices, capers, rice, heavy cream, corn, and black pepper. Traditionally, the soup is served in a rounded bowl with a rounded bottom that is placed in a basket in order to ensure stability. Some versions of ajiaco have corn on the cob dipped into the soup as a garnish. Cooked until thick and fragrant, it's best to try this creamy soup in Bogota, where it's especially popular.

Ajiaco

Croatia

Ajngemahtec is a nourishing chicken soup traditionally prepared in northern Croatia, especially in the area around its capital, Zagreb, whose cuisine was strongly influenced by its Austrian neighbors. The name comes from the German word eingemacht, which could be roughly translated as all in one, due to the fact this simple one-pot dish indeed has a little bit of everything: various vegetables, chicken, a delicious broth and hearty dumplings. Ajngemachtec is often served at the beginning of the Sunday family lunch, but it also has a status of an ultimate home-remedy - whether it is a cold, flu, or a hangover, a plate of hot ajngemahtec always seems to make things better.

Ajngemahtec

This Andalusian cold almond soup is known as the precursor of gazpacho; it originated during the Moorish middle ages, predating the arrival of tomatoes and peppers by several centuries. Ajoblanco traditionally consisted of a pur&eacute;ed mixture of stale bread that was moistened with vinegar and water, a hefty amount of fresh garlic, and almonds &mdash; the region's most abundant crop, but modern recipes also often include ingredients such as milk and green grapes. If available, always use Marcona almonds when making ajoblanco. The perfect starter for a summer lunch, this creamy soup is best enjoyed well chilled, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with toasted almonds.

Ajoblanco

Slovenia

Aleluja (lit. Hallelujah) is a traditional soup originating from the Dolenjska region. This typical Easter soup is prepared with water in which the Easter ham was cooked, dried turnip peels, salt, pepper, seasonal vegetables, eggs, and flour. The vegetables are cooked in leftover Easter ham cooking water, along with the turnip peels. Hand-made soup pasta is made from flour and eggs, which is then cooked in the soup. Once done, aleluja is often garnished with hot cracklings before it&rsquo;s served and enjoyed. There are several regional variations on aleluja, and some of them are not prepared as a soup, but as a porridge. This is one of the oldest Slovene Easter dishes.

Aleluja

Austria

Alt-Wiener Suppenhuhn is a traditional soup originating from Vienna. The soup is usually made with a combination of chicken, carrots, parsley, celery, onions, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, thyme, chives, salt, pepper, egg yolks, cream, peas, mushrooms, flour, and butter. The chicken and root vegetables are boiled in water, while half of the onion is fried in a pan until almost black with the cut side down. The herbs are tied in a bag and placed into the pot. The soup is cooked until the meat becomes tender, and it's then removed from the bones and cut into pieces. The butter and flour are added to the soup with sliced mushrooms, pur&eacute;ed peas, cream, and chicken pieces. Once cooked, the soup is removed from the heat and mixed with beaten egg yolks, salt, and pepper. Before serving, the soup is garnished with chopped chives. This classic soup can nowadays be found in many upscale Viennese restaurants and it makes for a great remedy against the common cold.

Alt-Wiener Suppenhuhn

Alu tama is a traditional Nepalese soup prepared with bamboo shoots and potatoes as key ingredients. The usage of bamboo shoots makes the soup quite unusual and unique in flavor, which is the reason why the soup is so appealing to many people. The soup is additionally flavored with onions, chilis, cumin, garlic, ginger, turmeric, pepper, and yogurt. It can be served on its own or with rice, and it is recommended to garnish it with finely chopped coriander.

Alu tama

Arganak is a type of traditional Armenian soup that is based on chicken broth and meatballs. It is typically made with meatballs consisting of seasoned ground beef, cooked rice, and onions which are cooked in a chicken broth flavored with lemon juice and egg yolks. Warm and filling, the chicken soup with meatballs is usually consumed right away, garnished with some freshly chopped parsley on top. In Armenian, the word arganak used to refer to a type of soup seasoned with herbs or prepared with herbs.

Arganak

Arjamolho is a traditional cold soup or salad from the Algarve region. It is made with ingredients such as stale bread, tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, olive oil, oregano, wine vinegar, water, and salt. The ingredients are mixed together to create a refreshing dish, often served chilled, making it ideal for hot summer days. It is similar to the Spanish gazpacho and is typically enjoyed with grilled fish or seafood, reflecting the fresh, Mediterranean flavors of the Algarve.

Arjamolho

&Auml;rtsoppa is a traditional yellow pea soup that was originally prepared from fast-growing peas. It was extremely popular among the poor people who used to cook all of the ingredients in the same pot because they didn't have more than one. The soup is very thick in texture (similar to a stew), yellow in color, and it is traditionally eaten on Thursdays, a practice that dates back to the time when the bellies needed to be full before fasting started on Fridays. Other ingredients include thin slices of pink salt pork and spices such as onions, marjoram, ginger and cloves. If the soup is served without pork, it might come as a part of a second course, accompanied by mustard and boiled potatoes. In that case, there is also a third course - small, thin pancakes called pl&auml;tter, consisting of eggs, milk, salt, and flour, fried until golden-brown and crisp-edged, ready to be paired with various fruit jams. A traditional liqueur called Punsch and crispy bread are ideal accompaniments to the beloved yellow pea soup, which is also a popular school food because it is inexpensive, flavorful, and quite easy to prepare.

Ärtsoppa

Ash-e doogh is a traditional soup that's especially popular in the region of Azeri. This thick soup is usually made with a combination of yogurt or ayran, vegetables such as purslane, spinach, onions, garlic, peas, and chickpeas, fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, coriander, and tarragon, as well as eggs, rice, lamb meatballs, beans, and various spices. When served, ash-e doogh is often topped with mint and garlic fried in oil. This yogurt soup is also popular in Turkey and Azerbaijan.