Soup

Vietnam

Lẩu mắm Ch&acirc;u Đốc is a traditional hot pot dish originating from Ch&acirc;u Đốc. The broth for this hot pot is made from fermented pastes such as mam sac, mam linh, and mam tren, all of them usually sweet and salty. Mam sac is an aromatic base for the hot pot, made by fermenting ca sac fish with various ingredients such as pineapple, rice wine, lemongrass, salt, and starfruit. Mam tren is used to thicken the broth and provide a sweet, salty, and savory flavor. Mam linh finishes the broth off with its tart and buttery flavors. Apart from these three, there can be additional mams in the broth, depending on the cook. What is later added to the broth is a huge amount of Mekong&rsquo;s ingredients such as squid, shrimp, eel, anchovies, herbs, flowers, vegetables, and freshwater fish so you can truly taste the whole Mekong Delta in one bowl.

Lẩu mắm Châu Đốc

Lauya is a comforting Filipino dish which may consist of chicken, pork, or beef that is slowly stewed in a flavorful broth alongside various spices. It appears in many regional varieties and often includes different vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. The meat is usually left on the bone and it is occasionally shortly smoked before being cooked. Lauya is the perfect example of traditional Filipino comfort food, always served hot and typically enjoyed with plain steamed rice on the side.

Lauya

This traditional Liberian peanut soup is made with a combination of peanuts, herbs, spices, and meat. The ingredients include beef, chicken, chicken stock, onions, bell peppers, celery, hot peppers, dried fish (optional), potatoes, okra, and peanut butter. In order to prepare it, the ingredients are simmered in a pot until the potatoes and the meat become fully cooked, and the peanut butter is then added to the pot until it melts completely. This soup is always served hot, usually for lunch. If it's too thick, it's recommended to add more water, and if it's too thin, add some more peanut butter.

Liberian Peanut Soup

Croatia

Lička juha is a hearty soup originating from the Croatian region of Lika. It is made with lamb or veal, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and various root vegetables. The soup is usually flavored with salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley. In Lika, a restaurant called Lička Kuća is known for their version of this soup, where they add a combination of egg yolks and sour cream into it a few minutes before serving. Lička juha is especially popular in autumn and winter.

Lička juha

Lička kisela juha od janjetine is a traditional soup originating from the Lika region. This sour soup is usually made with a combination of lamb, carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaves, egg yolks, garlic, kale, rice, lemon juice, sour cream, salt, and pepper. The lamb is cut into cubes and boiled in water with carrots, celery, and parsley. The kale and rice are cooked in a separate pot. Once the meat becomes tender, the soup is strained, and the onions, garlic, and bay leaves are removed from the pot. The egg yolks, sour cream, and lemon juice are mixed, then poured into the soup, which should be continuously stirred. The meat, vegetables, and rice are served in a plate, then covered with the soup and enjoyed warm.

Lička kisela juha od janjetine

Italy

Licurdia is a traditional cucina povera dish originating from Calabria. The soup is made with a combination of lard, flour, vegetable stock, salt, rustic bread, caciocavallo or scamorza cheese, and Calabrian Tropea onions, prized for their delicate sweetness and fragrance. The onions are browned in lard, dusted with flour, then mixed with the vegetable stock and simmered until the onion start to fall apart. The slices of bread are topped with caciocavallo or scamorza cheese, then broiled until the cheese is melted. The soup is served with the bruschetta on the side, but it can also be served on top of the plated soup.

Licurdia

Sicilian maccu is a thick broad bean soup flavored with wild fennel, olive oil, salt, and pepper, allegedly named after Macchus, a gluttonous character in Roman comedies. The dish was traditionally prepared at the end of winter to celebrate the feast of St Joseph and the coming of spring - a perfect opportunity to use leftover dried beans of the last season before the new harvest begins in spring. Maccu has been a staple dish for the Sicilian contadini (lit. peasants) since Roman times, but nowadays it is rare and can be found on restaurant menus only occasionally. Usually served with bread or lolli, a type of hand-made Sicilian pasta, it can also be left to cool and solidify before it is cut into strips, covered in flour, and deep-fried in olive oil. The soup is also made in Sardinia and Calabria.

Maccu

Mahluta is a traditional soup hailing from T&uuml;rkiye. The soup is usually made with a combination of red lentils, onions, tomato paste, rice, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and salt. The onions are finely chopped and saut&eacute;ed in olive oil until tender. The tomato paste is added to the pot and cooked with the onions, followed by the washed and drained red lentils, rice, and water. The mixture is covered and simmered over low heat until both the lentils and the rice become fully cooked and tender. Before serving, lemon juice, cumin, and salt are added to the pot, mixed, and the pot is then removed from the heat source. If properly prepared, mahluta should have a chunky and slightly thick consistency. If desired, the rice can be replaced with bulgur.

Mahluta

Majgaluska leves is a traditional soup that contains chicken liver dumplings, made by mixing ground liver with eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, vegetable oil, and parsley. The broth is made with vegetables such as carrots, celery, kohlrabi, turnips, and onions. The liver mixture is shaped into balls, which are then put into the broth to cook until this tasty soup is ready to be served.

Majgaluska leves

This traditional Istrian stew-like soup is prepared with kidney beans, potatoes, and sweet corn, locally named bobići. Mane&scaron;tra od bobići is cooked with the addition of dried pork meat, and for extra flavor, when the beans and corn are almost fully cooked, the dish is finished with the so-called pe&scaron;t, a special kind of mash made with bacon fat, garlic, and parsley. Apart from the amazing flavor and aroma, this finishing touch also adds a nice thickness to the soup, making it a meal in itself, best enjoyed with some sourdough country-style bread.

Maneštra od bobići

Mane&scaron;tra od jačmika is a traditional dish originating from Istria. This type of mane&scaron;tra is usually made with a combination of barley, beans, potatoes, pancetta, onions, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. The beans are cooked, covered with water, then simmered with bay leaves, barley, pork legs, onion slices, salt, and pepper. Once the beans and barley are slightly tender, the potatoes are added to the mixture. Some of the potatoes are mashed with a fork in order for the mane&scaron;tra to develop its thick consistency, and the dish is then served warm, while the pork legs are served on the side.

Maneštra od jačmika

Mannish water is a popular Jamaican soup made from goat offal (legs, head, intestines, testicles) combined with yam, coconut, green bananas, dumplings, and hot peppers. There are variations of the dish where white rum is added into the soup in order to further enhance its flavors. The soup is traditionally served hot in cups, at festivities or other large gatherings such as funerals. It is believed that the soup is an aphrodisiac, which is the reason why mannish water is sometimes referred to as "Jamaica's favorite party soup".

Mannish Water

Maraq is a delicate and aromatic Yemeni lamb (or chicken) broth soup that is traditionally served at the beginning of the meal. Each family and restaurant makes a different maraq stock, so it may be simmered with garlic, turmeric, onions, coriander, pepper, or cinnamon, depending on personal preferences. The stock can also act as a base for numerous other dishes, such as salta, a stew that is also the national dish of Yemen. Maraq is also a natural remedy for sick people, and it is often served to women who just gave birth, in order to strengthen them. The soup is traditionally served with fresh slices of lemon which should be squeezed in it for that extra flavor.

Maraq

Mastoba is a traditional Tajik soup consisting of meat, rice, and vegetables. It is typically prepared with seasoned chunks of meat, usually beef or mutton that are browned alongside tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, sweet peppers, potatoes, spices, and rice, and then simmered with water until meat, rice, and vegetables are tender. Thick and satisfying, the soup is traditionally served hot in an oval-shaped bowl known as kasa, tavak, or pialah in Tajik. It is usually laced with a drizzle of katyk, a type of Tajik sour milk, and eaten with sprinklings of freshly chopped coriander and ground pepper on top.

Mastoba

The center of every Jewish Seder&mdash;Passover meal&mdash;is a bowl of chicken broth with large matzah balls. The dish is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, and it is believed that it originated among the Ashkenazi Jews who invented it as an adaptation of Central European bread dumplings (kn&ouml;dels). In Jewish tradition, the large balls are often referred to as kneydl, knaidel, kneidel, or knodel and are made with matzo meal&mdash;consisting of ground matzo bread&mdash;and rendered chicken fat. Nowadays, matzah ball soup is not exclusively associated with Passover and has become a year-round comfort food that is enjoyed in most Jewish communities.

Matzah ball soup

Matzvnis is a traditional yogurt soup originating from Georgia. The soup is made with matsoni, a traditional yogurt that&rsquo;s similar to Greek yogurt, rice, sour cream, eggs, onions, parsley, coriander, scallions, and mint. The combination of these ingredients is shortly boiled, and it&rsquo;s then served while still warm. The soup does not reheat well, so it&rsquo;s recommended to enjoy it immediately. People eat it hot in winter and cold in summer. If desired, dill and garlic can be added to the soup in order to enrich its flavors.

Matzvnis

Maushawa is a hearty soup (or even a stew) from Afghanistan. There are many versions and recipes for this dish, but it is typically prepared with split peas, kidney beans, rice, onions, tomatoes, yogurt, dill, and chicken stock. Kofta meatballs are very often added to maushawa in order to make it even more nourishing. In Afghanistan, this thick soup is usually served as a starter or a main dish. It is recommended to serve it hot, ideally with lavash or naan on the side.

Maushawa

Spain

Mazamorra is a simple, yet flavorful traditional cold soup that originates from the southern region of Andalusia, particularly Cordoba, and is made primarily from bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar, thickened with ground almonds. The consistency is typically creamy, similar to a thick soup or a puree. This dish is served cold, making it especially popular in the hot summer months. It's typically garnished with ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, fruits like apples and grapes, or pieces of ham, which add texture and flavor contrasts to the creamy base. Mazamorra is similar to ajo blanco, another popular cold soup in Spanish cuisine, but differs in regard to some ingredients, such as breadcrumbs (uses more), almonds (uses less), and traditional garnishes.

Mazamorra

Colombia

Mazamorra chiquita is a traditional soup originating from the Boyac&aacute; department. Although the ingredients may vary, it's usually prepared with a combination of beef ribs, tripe, beans, onions, corn, garlic, pepper, cumin, and a few varieties of potatoes. The soup is slowly simmered until the tripe and potatoes are very tender. Before serving, it's recommended to adjust the seasonings according to personal preferences. This hearty soup can be prepared at home or enjoyed on the streets, usually in thatched kiosks from which it's often sold.

Mazamorra chiquita

Mbanga is a West African soup made with a combination of meat, smoked fish, crayfish, spinach or bitter leaves, beef bouillon, and palm nut pulp. The pulp is obtained by pounding the palm nut without breaking the kernels on the inside. These ingredients are all simmered with fresh and smoked meat until tender. It is recommended to serve this hearty palm nut soup with rice, kwacoco (pur&eacute;ed and steamed cocoyams), or any starch-based side dishes.