Soup

Skābeņu zupa is a traditional sorrel soup. It is made with beef stock, chopped sorrel leaves, pearl barley, onions, potatoes, and lemon juice. Common additions include grated carrots and smoked pork ribs, while hard-boiled eggs and sour cream are typically used as garnishes. Although skābeņu zupa is most commonly served warm or hot, it is very refreshing when served ice cold on hot summer days. The word skābeņu in the name of this soup is derived from skābs, meaning sour, referring to sorrel&rsquo;s flavor.

Skābeņu zupa

Skābu kāpostu zupa, also known as sauerkraut soup, is a traditional dish made with sour cabbage (sauerkraut) as the main ingredient. The soup typically starts with a meat-based broth, often made with pork ribs, smoked pork, or ham hocks, which give it a rich and savory flavor. The sauerkraut is simmered in the broth, imparting its characteristic tanginess. Additional ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and onions are often added to provide balance and texture, while spices such as bay leaves, peppercorns, and dill enhance the flavor. Some variations include adding a bit of barley for heartiness or cream for a smoother texture. The soup is usually served hot and may be accompanied by rye bread, which complements its sour and savory notes. Skābu kāpostu zupa is a popular comfort food in Latvia, often enjoyed during the winter months or as a warming dish for family gatherings.

Skābu kāpostu zupa

Slovenia

Smukavc is a traditional dish originating from Idrija. Although there are variations, this hearty stew is usually made with a combination of cabbage, chicory, or kale leaves, garlic, potatoes, salt, and minced lard. The ingredients are boiled in water, and the potatoes are mashed once they become tender, with the same water in which they were cooked. The stew can be additionally thickened with flour if the consistency is too thin. Once done, smukavc is often served with sliced sausages on the side. Some people consider smukavc a dense soup instead of a stew.

Smukavc

Snert is a traditional soup made with split peas, vegetables, and pork. Its texture is so thick that a spoon should be able to remain in an upright position when placed in the middle of the cooking pot, so snert is often made a day in advance, then reheated the next day. The soup is a wintertime staple in the Netherlands, and it's traditionally served on New Year, with rookworst sausage and Dutch rye bread on the side. There are endless variations on the dish and all of the family recipes tend to differ slightly. Snert is so popular in the Netherlands that there is even an event called The Pea Soup World Cup, held every year in Groningen.

Snert

France

Sobronade is a traditional soup originating from P&eacute;rigord. Although it's regarded as a soup, the dish is a combination of potatoes and white beans flavored with ham, and some even think of it as a poor man's cassoulet. It's made by boiling white beans, ham, and potatoes, followed by carrots, clove-spiked onions, and sliced turnips which have ideally been fried in goose fat. The combination is boiled again, followed by thick slices of potatoes, and the soup is then slowly simmered until all ingredients are very tender. When done, sobronade is served hot as it is or over slices of stale bread.

Sobronade

Norway

Satisfying sodd is Norway's national dish which usually consists of diced mutton, meatballs (made with beef, lamb or mutton), carrots, and potatoes served in a clear, fragrant broth. The vegetables are usually cooked separately and are then added to the broth. The soup has been a staple in Norwegian cuisine since the 13th century, and today it is mainly associated with the Tr&oslash;ndelag region. Sodd is usually served on special and festive occasions and it is traditionally paired with Norwegian flatbread on the side.

Sodd

Switzerland

Soledurner wys&uuml;ppli is a traditional wine soup originating from Solothurn. It's usually made with a combination of white wine, butter, shallots, carrots, leeks, chicken stock, cream, egg yolks, salt, and chives. The shallots, leeks, and carrots are saut&eacute;ed in butter, then covered with stock and white wine and brought to a boil. The cream is whisked with egg yolks, and the mixture is then slowly stirred into the pan while it's off the heat. The soup is brought below the boiling point, seasoned with salt, garnished with chives, and served immediately. If desired, feel free to sprinkle a tablespoon of coarsely chopped hazelnuts on top of the soup.

Soledurner wysüppli

Solyanka is a traditional soup made with meat, fish, or mushrooms, and vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, olives, and cabbage. The soup is usually served with lemon wedges on the side, but it is also flavored with lemon juice during the cooking process. If meat is used, it is typically beef, pork, or chicken. Solyanka is also well-known as a hangover cure and it is traditionally served with sour cream.

Solyanka

Portugal

Sopa caramela is a stew made with catarino beans, either butter or wine-colored depending on preference, sausages, lean pork (rarely), and fatty cuts like ear, chispe (knuckle), head, or pork belly. These ingredients are seasoned with onion and garlic and accompanied by carrots, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, and kale&mdash;traditionally sourced from the garden. The soup is finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of elbow pasta to add body and consistency. It is a traditional Portuguese soup from the Pinhal Novo area that originated in the 16th century and was brought by rural workers from Beira Litoral and Baixo Mondego, who settled there in the 19th century.

Sopa caramela

Sopa criolla is a comforting and filling Peruvian soup. It's made with a combination of beef, onions, garlic, aji panca paste, tomato paste, stock, potatoes, angel hair pasta, evaporated milk, oregano, and eggs. Once it has been cooked, the soup is typically garnished with homemade croutons. It is believed that sopa Criolla was brought to the country by Italian immigrants. For the best experience, serve it on a chilly winter day.

Sopa criolla

Although it translates as stone soup, this hearty Portuguese dish is actually a combination of beans and sausages such as chouri&ccedil;o and morcela (blood sausage), as well as pork belly, pig&rsquo;s ear, and potatoes, while different regional varieties may also include pasta, carrots, and cabbage. There's a legend saying that a monk in need wanted to prepare soup by using merely stones and water. When he asked for additional ingredients to supposedly flavor the soup, the family who'd hosted him was more than willing to provide some pork cuts, beans, sausages, and vegetables, and the monk ended with a rich and nutritious dish without any stones inside. Similar stories exist in various European countries, but the moral of each always revolves around sharing and compassion. It is believed that sopa da pedra originated in Almeirim, which has been dubbed the capital of stone soup.

Sopa da pedra

Sopa de aguacate is a traditional soup originating from Central Mexico, but it's popular throughout Latin America. Although there are numerous variations, this pale gren soup is usually made with a combination of avocados, chicken stock or caldo de pollo soup, chipotle chili peppers, and fried pieces of tortilla. The avocados are blended with the stock into a smooth pur&eacute;e, then heated gently so that the mixture doesn't boil. The soup is served immediately, while still warm, and it's topped with the tortilla pieces and chipotle chili peppers torn into pieces. Other versions of the soup also add onions, lemon juice, garlic, or bell peppers into the mix.

Sopa de aguacate

Spain

Sopa de ajo is a traditional garlic soup. It's prepared by saut&eacute;eing garlic in olive oil and Spanish smoked paprika. Stale bread and whisked or poached eggs are then added to the soup for the final touch. As for the liquids, chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even plain water will work. The soup is served piping hot, garnished with a few croutons or fresh parsley. Traditionally, sopa de ajo is consumed in the morning on Good Friday, and it's recommended to serve it with a few slices of grilled bread on the side.

Sopa de ajo

Sopa de albondigas is a Mexican dish consisting of small meatballs that are fried, then simmered in a tomato-based soup. The meatballs are usually made from turkey, chicken, or beef, seasoned with smoked paprika, coriander, garlic, onions, and breadcrumbs. After being simmered in the soup, the dish is typically garnished with avocado slices, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions. This soup is often accompanied by corn tortillas with butter and salt on the side. It is believed that these savory meatballs originated as a Berber or Arab dish which was brought over to Spain, and later to Mexico via conquistadors.

Sopa de albondigas

Sopa de almendras is a traditional soup. It's made with skinned and blanched almonds, garlic, stale bread, olive oil, stock, peppercorns, saffron, cumin or cinnamon, and vinegar or lemon juice. The almonds are fried with saffron, garlic, and bread, then blended with cumin, peppercorns, vinegar, and stock. The combination is mixed with the remaining stock and brought to a boil. After simmering for a short while, the soup is garnished with toasted almonds, chopped mint, or croutons. Sopa de almendras is traditionally served as the first course on Christmas Eve.

Sopa de almendras

Sopa de capirotadas is a hearty Honduran soup filled with dumplings made with cheese and cornmeal. It is traditionally prepared only during Lent and Easter, and was originally used as a meal for those who could not afford fish, which is traditionally consumed during Lent. It is recommended to use dry cheese so that the dumplings do not fall apart.

Sopa de capirotadas

Sweet chestnuts, one of the most beloved Portuguese snacks, are key ingredients for the preparation of this traditional soup called sopa de castanhas. The soup is typically prepared with boiled or roasted chestnuts which have been peeled before being cooked in water or broth (either vegetable or chicken broth) along with ingredients such as onions, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, and butter. There are numerous variations on the soup, and other common ingredients that may be used include red beans, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, or pieces of stale bread. This simple chestnut soup is usually flavored with parsley, cloves, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and it can (sometimes) be enhanced with the addition of bacon or ham. Traditionally, the soup is not pur&eacute;ed, although, nowadays, pur&eacute;eing the chestnut mixture to a smooth consistency is more common than not. Sopa de castanhas is typically enjoyed warm, garnished with chopped or crumbled chestnuts and accompanied by toasted or crusty bread on the side.

Sopa de castanhas

Sopa de cebollin is a traditional soup originating from Venezuela. Although there are some variations, the soup is usually prepared with chives, flour, butter, oil, white wine, beef stock, and cream. The chives are saut&eacute;ed in butter and oil until wilted, but not burned, as the flavor will become bitter. The flour, salt, pepper, white wine, and beef stock are all gradually added to the pot, and the combination is simmered until the liquid is reduced to a quarter. The cream is then added to the soup, and it is simmered for a few minutes more before the soup is ready to be served. If desired, this aromatic soup can be garnished with toasted pieces of bread or grated cheese on top.

Sopa de cebollin

Sopa de cola is a traditional soup made with oxtail. Typically, the soup is prepared in a large metal pot over an open fire. The pieces of oxtail are cooked long and slow in water to which a great variety of vegetables, herbs, spices, and seasonings are added at staggered intervals throughout the cooking process. Typical ingredients used in the preparation of this rich soup include onions, scallions, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, chayote squashes, pipi&aacute;n squashes, chilote (baby corn), quequisque (a starchy root), ripe plantains, ears of corn, cilantro, and lemon juice. The slow-cooking process results in a flavorful broth filled with tender pieces of bone-in meat and vegetables. Sopa de cola is usually enjoyed piping hot, and it is typically accompanied by a side of rice or chili peppers.

Sopa de cola

The star ingredient of this traditional Salvadoran soup or broth is a free-range, home-raised chicken known as gallina india. With an incomparable, rich flavor due to it being raised in a natural environment and fed on a natural diet, the chicken is typically cooked in water with a variety of chopped vegetables, garlic, herbs, spices, and seasonings. Typical vegetables used in the soup include carrots, onions, pipi&aacute;n (a type of small squash eaten as a vegetable), tomatoes, potatoes, corn, green chilis, and chayote (a green, pear-shaped vegetable), while the most common herbs and spices used in the dish include parsley, chipil&iacute;n (a leguminous plant), pepper, red pepper, achiote (a type of spice made from the seeds of the annatto tree), and basil. Some versions may also include other ingredients such as rice, small eggs, or even meatballs (called albondigas). Sopa de gallina india is usually enjoyed warm in bowls with the chicken cut into large pieces. After it&rsquo;s been cooked, the chicken may also be cut into pieces, roasted, and then served alongside the soup.