Soup

Miyan kuka is a traditional soup. It's made with a combination of dried and ground baobab leaves as the main ingredient. Although every Nigerian family has their own recipe, other common ingredients used in the preparation of miyan kuka include dried okra, onions, oil, ginger, dried fish, locust beans, hot chili peppers, and seasoning cubes. The soup is simmered until all the ingredients become tender, and it's then often served with tuwo shinkafa (Nigerian sticky rice balls).

Miyan kuka

The star ingredient in this nourishing South Korean soup is dried seaweed, typically wakame variety that is known as miyeok in Korea. The soup consists of a hearty broth and a choice of protein that may include anything from beef, prawns, oysters, mussels, or tofu, while it is typically flavored with sesame oil and soy sauce. Interestingly, due to the beneficial properties of wakame, this soup is a staple dish enjoyed by women after they have given birth. Tradition also suggests eating it on birthday celebrations, but it is mostly is enjoyed as a comforting everyday dish that is served with rice and various Korean sides.

Miyeokguk

Miyeok-oi-naengguk is a traditional cold soup originating from South Korea. The soup is usually made with a combination of wakame, hot peppers, onions, garlic, scallions, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and white vinegar. The wakame seaweed is soaked and blanched until green. It's then drained and cut into smaller pieces. The sugar is mixed with salt, hot peppers, vinegar, onions, scallions, garlic, and cold water. The mixture is stirred, ice cubes are added to it, and everything is stirred before it's mixed with the seaweed and cucumber matchsticks. The soup is garnished with halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and served ice cold. Miyeok-oi-naengguk is especially popular on hot summer days.

Miyeok-oi-naengguk

United States

Although it was influenced by traditional Finnish cuisine, mojakka soup is a hearty dish that originated among the Finnish-American communities, mainly situated in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. Some sources claim that mojakka evolved from the Bothnian fish soup, but the modern-day versions often replace fish with beef, pork, or venison, while additional ingredients include various vegetables and seasonings. It is usually prepared during the colder seasons and is mainly enjoyed as a nutritious main course.

Mojakka

Netherlands

Mosterdsoep is a traditional soup made with a combination of flour, butter, stock, cream, leeks, and coarse grain mustard (preferably Groningse or Zaanse mosterd). This soup is a specialty of Groningen. If desired, bacon and white wine can be added to the soup for extra flavor. Once cooked, the soup is traditionally ladled into bowls or soup plates and garnished with chopped chives or bacon bits. This velvety, creamy soup is especially popular during the winter.

Mosterdsoep

This light, nourishing South Korean soup combines chunks of beef and sliced Korean radishes (mu). The soup is based on a mild broth which is seasoned and flavored with fish sauce, onions, garlic, or soy sauce, but different varieties that may be flavored with soybean paste or chili flakes. The dish is usually served with rice and kimchi, as well as various other Korean side dishes (banchan).

Muguk

This classic curry soup originated in the 18th-century British Raj, the colonial regime of India. Mulligatawny takes its name from the Tamil miḷaku-taṇṇīr which literally translates to 'black pepper water.' Originally, the local Madras recipe on which the soup was based included only vegetables, spices, and rice, whereas later British versions added various meats, mostly veal or chicken. Modern mulligatawny recipes tend to be even more complex, so the soup is now often made with the addition of lentils, apples, coconut milk, and sometimes even lemon juice. Eaten with a large quantity of boiled rice, this substantial meat-based soup becomes a meal in itself and is traditionally enjoyed with a dollop of tangy sour cream.

Mulligatawny

Mulukhiyah is the national dish of Egypt, a soup made by cooking a large amount of finely chopped jute, which is a green leaf vegetable with a distinctively bitter flavor. Traditionally, the soup is cooked with garlic, coriander, chicken meat or chicken stock, and is usually served with white rice or pita bread, and a lemon or lime wedge on the side. It is believed that the dish dates back to the time of the Pharaohs, its name coming from the word mulokia, meaning Kingdom of Royals, referring to the fact that it was consumed only by the kings, queens, and nobles during the era. Its slimy texture and strong aromas have caught the hearts of many people, so the soup is also quite popular in Lebanon, Palestine, and throughout the Middle East.

Mulukhiyah

Finland

Mykyrokka is a traditional soup hailing from the central Savo region. It consists of blood dumplings &ndash; traditionally prepared with blood and barley flour and usually shaped as flat, palm-sized discs &ndash; potatoes, and various types of meat and offal. All of the ingredients are cooked in a well-seasoned, flavorful broth that is light to dark brown in color. The soup is mainly associated with autumn and early winter and is usually enjoyed as a hearty main course.

Mykyrokka

Naengguk is a common name for a group of South Korean cold soups that are usually consumed during summer. It is believed that there is no better refreshment than a bowl of cold naengguk on a hot summer day. The soups are typically divided into two main categories: for the first one, cold water is combined with vinegar and ingredients such as cucumbers, spring onions, garlic, wakame, or nori seaweed. The second category of naengguk is reserved for soups that benefit health, such as the ones made with sesame, soybeans, or chicken. Naengguk first appeared in the 12th century in a poem written by Yi Gyu-bo, where it was referred to as soup with sunchae and was praised for its refreshing, clear flavor.

Naengguk

Australia

This pumpkin soup is a traditional New Zealander dish that has many variations. It's most comonly prepared with a combination of pur&eacute;ed pumpkin, onions, lemongrass, butter, coconut milk, flour, egg yolks, nutmeg, and seasonings. The onions and lemongrass are saut&eacute;ed in butter until soft, followed by the pumpkin pur&eacute;e that's added to the pot along with some water and freshly grated nutmeg. The combination is shortly simmered, then mixed with a roux consisting of flour and coconut milk, while the whisked egg yolks are added to the soup near the end of cooking. Once done, the soup is served hot, and it can be garnished with croutons, if desired.

New Zealand Pumpkin Soup

Ngam ngov is a traditional sour soup that is typically made with preserved lime, meat, green onions, fried garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and sea salt. Apart from the tart flavor imparted by the preserved lime, the soup gets a pleasant fragrance from makrut lime leaves and a spicy kick from red chilis. A typical Cambodian wedding dish, the soup is traditionally prepared with duck, although these days it most commonly features chicken or pork. Ngam ngov is usually topped with some freshly chopped cilantro or culantro on top, and it is typically accompanied by steamed white rice. This zesty-flavored soup embraces the sourness that is an all-too-familiar and highly appreciated flavor by the Cambodian palate and an unmistakable trait of Cambodian cuisine.

Ngam ngov

Niboshi dashi or iriko dashi is a traditional stock. It&rsquo;s made by boiling dried baby sardines known as niboshi. Once prepared, this stock is commonly used in a variety of dishes such as miso soup, noodle soups, nimono (simmered dishes), and hot pots, adding rich and bold flavors full of umami. Niboshi dashi is also used in Korean cuisine. Since the stock is based on fish, it goes really well with vegetable dishes.

Niboshi dashi

Nilagang baka is a traditional soup originating from the Philippines. Although there are many variations, it's usually prepared with a combination of onions, beef broth, cubed beef, baby bok choy, cabbage, plantains, potatoes, celery, star anise, salt, and pepper. The soup is simmered until the beef becomes tender and the vegetables are fully cooked. Nilagang baka is especially popular on cold or rainy days, and it's always served hot. Traditionally, it's accompanied by steamed rice and fish sauce (patis). Sometimes, an extra helping of the broth is served in a separate bowl on the side.

Nilagang baka

Nudelsuppe is a simple German noodle soup that typically consists of noodles in clear soup. Traditionally, the base for the soup is a rich chicken or beef broth with German soup vegetables or soup greens (Suppengr&uuml;n) such as carrots, parsnips, leeks, celery, onions, and turnips. Thin egg noodles such as faddennudeln are the most commonly used noodles for this soup, although other noodle varieties may also be used instead of it. The soup and the noodles are usually prepared separately, and the boiled noodles are then added to the hot soup right before serving. Nudelsuppe is sometimes enhanced with pieces of diced or shredded chicken or beef, depending on the type of broth used for the base, and it's usually sprinkled with fresh chives or parsley on top. In Germany, noodle soups are typically enjoyed as a starter, and they have long been a part of the traditional Shabbat dinner.

Nudelsuppe

Best known as a food cart meal intended for relaxing after a day of hard work, oden is a one-pot dish with numerous ingredients such as fish balls, fish cakes, konnyaku, deep-fried tofu, eggs, and vegetables, simmered in a light, soy sauce-based broth. Oden is extremely popular during the winter, and it can often be found in Japan around September or October. Although it can be found at street stands, oden is also often made at home, bought in convenience stores, and served in some specialty restaurants. It is said that the dish has its roots in the Muromachi era, and that it is an evolved version of a dish called dengaku, referring to tofu and konnyaku pieces that were coated with miso paste and grilled on skewers. The name oden is the first part of the word dengaku, with the polite 'o' added as a prefix.

Oden

This simple Luxembourgish onion soup is made by stir-frying onions in butter before cooking them in vegetable stock with white wine and caraway seeds. The piping hot soup is then transferred to warmed soup bowls or cups and finished with pieces of toasted bread, sunflower seeds, and grated cheese on top. Once assembled, &ouml;ennenzop is broiled until the cheese on the top melts, and all that's left is to dig in and enjoy.

Öennenzop

Nigeria

Ofe onugbu is a traditional soup originating from Nigeria. It's made with a combination of bitterleaf, cocoyam paste, red palm oil, dried fish, beef and tripe, crayfish, seasoning cubes, and a traditional seasoning called ogiri igbo. The ingredients are simmered in water over in a covered pot until the cocoyam lumps dissolve and the other ingredients develop a tender consistency. The soup shouldn't be too thick, so it's recommended to add more water if ofe onugbu thickens too much. It also shouldn't be bitter, so bitterleaf should be well washed and squeezed before cooking, and the water in the soup should also be changed until there's not a trace of bitterness left. Ofe onugbu is native to the Igbos people of Eastern Nigeria.

Ofe onugbu

Ogbono is a traditional soup made with a combination of ogbono seeds, red palm oil, onions, stock, seasoning cubes, leafy vegetables such as spinach, pumpkin leaves, or bitterleaf, and assorted meat and fish such as beef, tripe, shrimp, and crayfish. The ingredients are simmered in an uncovered pot until fully tender, and the soup is then traditionally served hot with fufu, because the soup's slimy consistency helps the lumps of fufu slide down. Ogbono has many versions, so it can also be made without vegetables.

Ogbono Soup

Okroshka is a classic Russian cold soup consisting of chopped vegetables, cooked meats, and potatoes in a base of kvass (a fermented wheat drink) or kefir. Depending on the regional varieties, the meat used in okroshka can range from tongue or sausages to smoked fish, ham, and doktorskaya kolbasa (bologna-style sausage). Almost all versions of the soup contain cucumbers, scallions, dill, radishes, and hard-boiled eggs, while some versions use fruits such as cherries and apples. It is said that the ratio of vegetables and meat should always be 1:1. The name of the soup is derived from the Russian verb kroshit, meaning to crumble or chop. Okroshka is extremely popular during the summer in Russia, because it is always served cold as a refreshment, along with being a highly versatile dish that is easy to prepare.