Soup

Slovenia

Kra&scaron;ka jota is a traditional thick soup or stew originating from the Karst area. It's usually made with a combination of sauerkraut, sour turnip, pork ribs, beans, pork sausages, potatoes, stock, onions, garlic, olive oil, paprika, black pepper, salt, thyme, and marjoram. The garlic and onions are saut&eacute;ed in oil, and the sausage, stock, potatoes, and herbs are then added to the pot. After a few minutes of cooking, sauerkraut and sour turnip are added to the mix, followed by the beans, salt, pepper, and paprika. Once done, this hearty dish is served warm in deep bowls. It's recommended to serve the stew with a piece of fresh bread on the side.

Kraška jota

This traditional Greek soup is usually prepared with beef, or occasionally goat or mutton meat. Alongside meat, the soup also employs various garden vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, and in some cases, it is enriched with pasta or a traditional wheat product known as trahana. Kreatosoupa is a dish that grew out as a hearty, country-style meal, and is best served with crusty bread on the side.

Kreatosoupa

Krumplileves is a traditional potato soup consisting of potatoes, flour, onions, paprika, tomatoes, carrots, and turnips. It is typically flavored with parsley, celery, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. When the vegetables are tender enough, and the soup develops a thick consistency, it is ready to be served, preferably with a dollop of sour cream on top. Because krumplileves is so inexpensive and easy to prepare, it is usually made at the end of the month. There are a few variations, so some people like to add sausage pieces into the soup for extra flavor.

Krumplileves

Syria

Kubbah ḥāmḍa is a Syrian specialty made with stuffed meatballs cooked in a broth flavored with fresh lemon or lime juice. The meatballs, called kubbah, usually consist of lean ground lamb or beef, ground rice, and onions. They are filled with a mixture of spiced ground lamb or beef and parsley or celery leaves. The stuffed meatballs are then thrown into a broth containing potatoes, carrots, onions, yellow squash or zucchini, celery stalks, garlic, mint, and lemon or lime juice. Delicately sour and flavor-packed, this meatball soup is consumed hot and it has been traditionally prepared for Passover, usually served as an appetizer preceding the Seder meal.

Kubbah hāmḍa

Kubbah labanīyah is a traditional dish consisting of meatballs cooked in a yogurt-based soup. It is typically prepared with raw or pre-cooked meatballs consisting of minced lamb, bulgur, and onions, which are added to a mixture of plain yogurt, beaten eggs, diluted cornflour, and chicken, beef, or lamb stock, and then simmered until the meatballs are cooked through and the soup has thickened. The soup is usually flavored with a blend of mint and garlic, saut&eacute;ed in some samneh (a type of clarified butter), and can also be enhanced with rice for added consistency. Kubbah in a creamy yogurt soup is enjoyed hot, usually topped with fresh mint and fried or toasted pine nuts. This specialty can be consumed as a main dish or an appetizer and is often part of the Iftar table.

Kubbah labanīyah

Kubbah safarjalīyah is an Aleppine dish that consists of stuffed meatballs cooked with a quince-based soup. The meatballs, known as kibbeh, are typically made with ground lamb or beef, bulgur, and onions. They are stuffed with a mixture of spiced ground lamb or beef, onions, and toasted pine nuts. The stuffed meatballs are usually first boiled, and then simmered in safarjaliyeh, which consists of quince, tomato juice, meat, a blend of mint and garlic, pomegranate molasses, and pomegranate juice. Sweet and sour, kubbah safarjalīyah is typically consumed warm, usually as an appetizer.

Kubbah safarjalīyah

Kufta bozbash is a traditional meatball soup. The essence of this soup is in the flavor of the k&ouml;fte (meatballs). Ground meat (usually lamb) is mixed with finely chopped onions, rice, dried mint, and dried lime flowers. When shaping the meatballs, dried fruits such as dates, cherries, or plums are placed and sealed inside them. The k&ouml;fte are cooked by themselves in a saffron-seasoned broth, followed by potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, and carrots. When served, the individual portion calls for only one large meatball per person, but nowadays, restaurants will make smaller meatballs for a more balanced dish. Garnished with fresh mint or cilantro, the soup is typically served as the first course at lunchtime.

Kufta bozbash

Kurban chorba is a traditional soup consisting of various cuts of meat (typically mutton), water, tomato juice, parsley, and vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery. This nourishing soup is usually prepared for important occasions in the family or religious feasts. The word kurban means sacrifice, so kurban chorba is prepared as a sacrifice for something that one wishes for - most often for a sick friend or a family member to become healthy again.

Kurban chorba

Austria

K&uuml;rbis suppe or pumpkin soup is a simple dish typical of the traditional Burgenland cuisine. The soup is usually made with diced or grated pumpkin flesh that is lightly saut&eacute;ed with vegetables before it is simmered in water, chicken stock, or beef broth until all the ingredients are tender. Typical vegetables used in the soup include onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, leeks, and celery, while the selection of spices and seasonings usually includes salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, cumin, dill, and vinegar. The soup is commonly thickened with flour or cornstarch, and once cooked, it is usually combined with cream and pur&eacute;ed until it gets a smooth or porridge-like consistency. A bowl of this creamy pumpkin soup is typically enjoyed while it's still hot as an appetizer. Traditionally, the soup is served with crispy croutons and a dollop of sour cream drizzled with pumpkin seed oil on top.

Kürbis Suppe

Maltese kusksu is a hearty and nourishing soup prepared with peas, broad beans, and giant couscous (also known as pastina, pearl pasta, or Israeli couscous). Dried mint, cheese, and eggs might also be added to the soup in order to further elevate its flavors. It is believed that kusksu soup has Italian and Middle Eastern origins, but this dish is nowadays a Maltese staple. The soup is typically prepared during winter due to its warming properties and nutritional value. It is recommended to serve kusksu with a few slices of local sourdough bread.

Kusksu

Poland

This popular sauerkraut soup is one of the traditional Polish dishes originating from the country's mountainous region, and it is often associated with the town Żywiec. Since it is prepared with fermented sauerkraut juice and smoked meat, it has a rich, smoky flavor, and is usually quite sour. Unlike kapuśniak, a similar sauerkraut soup, kwaśnica does not include any root vegetables. The soup is traditionally served as a nutritious main course, and it is recommended to pair it with bread or potatoes on the side.

Kwaśnica

Cameroon

Kwepme is a healthy soup originating from Southern Cameroon made with cassava leaves as key ingredients. Apart from cassava leaves, the soup also contains water, onions, garlic, hot peppers, ginger, peanut paste, and canned palm soup base. The ingredients are slowly simmered until the soup develops a smooth texture. It is recommended to serve the dish with boiled rice.

Kwepme

Kyalagyosh is a traditional yogurt soup served over toasted pieces of flatbread. In order to prepare the soup, eggs, flour, strained yogurt, and sour cream are combined until smooth, and then simmered with boiling water and chicken bouillon. The soup is then traditionally flavored with a mixture of dried maralot&rsquo;i, thyme, mint, or cilantro and onions which have been previously saut&eacute;ed in some butter and oil. Aromatic and warming, the soup is poured over crispy toasted pieces of flatbread (traditionally lavash) and it can be consumed hot or chilled. Typical accompaniments include fresh bread, onions, vodka, lentils, beef, and spiced garlic. An age-old dish, the soup was a typical morning dish prepared for guests in Armenian villages. Hailing from Nakhijevan, a part of historical Armenia, this creamy soup is nowadays commonly prepared throughout the country.

Kyalagyosh

Czech Republic

Kyselo is a hearty Czech sourdough soup which originated in Krkono&scaron;e mountains. The base of the soup is sourdough, usually made with fermented rye flour, poured in a caraway-spiced broth, and cooked until thickened. Even though there are numerous regional varieties, most versions are cooked with potatoes and mushrooms and served with scrambled or boiled eggs on top. Closely resembling traditional Polish žur, kyselo is one of the oldest Czech dishes often enjoyed as a satisfying main course.

Kyselo

K&ouml;ttsoppa is a hearty meat and vegetable soup that is commonly served in Sweden for lunch or dinner. The usual ingredients for its preparation include boiled meat, typically beef, chopped carrots, onions, parsnip, celery, and leeks, cooked in a pot and seasoned with thyme, white peppercorns, bay leaves, parsley, and salt. Normally served with plain, boiled potatoes and horseradish sauce, this flavorful soup is considered a variation of pot-au-feu. The dish is commonly eaten in Finland and Iceland as well. In Iceland, the traditional meat soup called kj&ouml;ts&uacute;pa is a variation of this soup that calls for lamb instead of beef.

Kӧttsoppa

Tunisian chickpea soup is a real working class staple &mdash; cheap, quick to prepare, filling, and commonly found at inexpensive restaurants. Lablabi is a hot and spicy dish, also quite greasy and heavy, and typically flavored with garlic, cumin, and harissa. It is traditionally served ladled over chunks of stale crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil, sometimes even with either vinegar or lemon or lime juice, and often garnished with cilantro, parsley, and scallions. Special versions of lablabi include capers, olives, pickled vegetables and tuna, while another variety called hergma is made with cow's hooves.

Lablabi

Bolivia

Lagua de choclo is a traditional soup. It's prepared with a combination of fresh corn kernels, beef, onions, potatoes, and various vegetables. The ingredients are simmered for about one hour until the beef is tender and the soup has a creamy consistency. Lagua de choclo is usually flavored with oregano and cayenne pepper. Before serving, it's garnished with finely chopped parsley.

Lagua de choclo

China

Slow-cooking is a Cantonese technique of cooking soups by slowly simmering meat and any other ingredients over low heat. The soups are often found at banquets, but are also consumed for their medicinal properties. In China, there is a soup for every season and every ailment, so winter melon soup is typically consumed when it's too hot outside, while spare rib and watercress soup is also consumed for its cooling effect on the human body. Traditionally, Chinese slow-cooked soups are made from lean meats, fish, vegetables, and natural flavorings such as fresh herbs. Since the soups are renowned for strengthening one's health, but take a long time to cook, soup chain stores have become fairly popular throughout Cantonese-dominated cities such as Hong Kong.

Lao huo tang

Lasopy is a traditional soup originating from Madagascar. This hearty soup is made with vegetables such as turnips, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, potatoes, and leeks. The vegetables are simmered in a pot with meat bones for extra flavor, and once tender, they're pur&eacute;ed into a thick and smooth soup. All that's left to do is to adjust the seasonings and lasopy is ready to be served, preferably very hot. It's recommended to serve the soup in large bowls with a piece of baguette and a spicy condiment known as sakay on the side.

Lasopy

Vietnam

Lẩu g&agrave; đen is a traditional dish that's especially popular in the mountainous Sapa region. The dish is a hotpot made with g&agrave; đen or black chicken, one of the most unique animals in Sapa. The meat of these chickens is sweet, aromatic, and somewhat tough. It's usually cooked in a broth with young bamboo, mushrooms, ginger, red apple, and various local wild greens and vegetables. This hotpot is served as a communal dish so every person can cook the ingredients in the hot broth according to their own preferences. Although black chicken hotpot is prepared in a few Vietnamese regions, it's still the easiest to find it in Sapa.