Soup

Italy

Zuppa di fagiano is a traditional soup that's especially popular in Tuscany, where game birds have been hunted since Etruscan days. The soup is usually prepared with a combination of pheasant meat, stock, olive oil, shallots, celery, salt, pepper, potatoes, white wine, juniper berries, cream, and chestnuts. Everything except the cream and chestnuts is simmered until the potatoes become tender, and the mixture is blended before the cream and chestnuts are added to the soup, which is once again simmered until it becomes creamy and thick. Pheasant soup is typically served warm, garnished with the remaining chestnuts and seasoned with lots of black pepper. A swirl of olive oil can also be added to the plate before serving, if desired.

Zuppa di fagiano

Zuppa di finocchio is a traditional soup made with fennel as the star ingredient. Although there are many variations across the country, the soup is often made with a combination of fennel bulbs, leeks, potatoes, chicken stock, butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The leeks are cut in half lengthwise, chopped, and saut&eacute;ed in butter and oil until soft. The fennel, potatoes, stock, salt, and pepper are then added to the pot and simmered until the vegetables are soft. They're processed until smooth, returned to the pot, and reheated. The soup is ladled into bowls, garnished with fennel tops, and drizzled with olive oil before serving.

Zuppa di finocchio

Zuppa di riso e castagne is a traditional soup originating from Piemonte. The soup is usually made with a combination of a few selected ingredients &ndash; boiled chestnuts, milk, rice, beef stock, and butter. The boiled chestnuts are peeled and cooked in butter for a few minutes. The milk and stock are added to the pan, and the mixture is simmered for half an hour. Rice is stirred in, and the soup is cooked for about 15 minutes before it's ready to be enjoyed. Before serving, it's recommended to let the soup rest for a few minutes.

Zuppa di riso e castagne

Zuppa di taccole is a traditional vegetable soup hailing from Italy. The soup is usually made with a combination of peas or mangetout (snow peas), onions, garlic, chicken stock, pine nuts, bread, lemon juice, olive oil, parmesan, sugar, salt, and black pepper. The peas, onions, and garlic are cooked in chicken stock, then pur&eacute;ed. The pine nuts are pounded with the lemon juice and sugar, and the mixture is stirred into the pur&eacute;e and seasoned with salt and pepper. The bread is fried in olive oil until it becomes brown and crisp. A slice of fried bread is placed in the bottom of each bowl and sprinkled with parmesan. The soup is poured over the bread and served while piping hot, with heaps of extra parmesan served on the side.

Zuppa di taccole

This famous soup from Pavia is made with the simplest ingredients possible, and it is a true traditional peasant food delicacy. It is made by poaching eggs in beef or chicken broth over a bed of toasted bread, and the whole thing is then topped with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese. According to legend, this nutritious soup was invented in the aftermath of the 1525 battle of Pavia. Tired and wounded, King Francis I of France found refuge in a local farmhouse after his defeat, where the lady of the house improvised a meal for her royal guest from what she had on hand, making a humble, yet delicious soup that is truly fit for a king.

Zuppa Pavese

Zuppa Toscana is a traditional soup made with Italian sausage, chicken broth, bacon, cream, and vegetables such as onions, kale, and potatoes. Due to its bold flavors and nutritive value, the soup is especially popular during the cold winter months. It is served warm, but many believe that it tastes even better the next day when all of the flavors get thouroughly combined.

Zuppa Toscana

Żurek is a traditional soup characterized by its distinctively sour taste, which comes from sour leavening, or the fermentation of bread and rye flour. The soup also contains meats such as sausages, bacon, or ham, and vegetables such as potatoes and mushrooms. Although it is extremely popular throughout Poland, each region has its own version of the dish. It is sometimes served in an edible bowl made of bread, when it is common to add halves of hard-boiled eggs on top of the soup as garnish. Żurek is traditionally prepared and consumed during Easter. There is a popular version of the soup called barszcz bialy, made with wheat flour instead of rye flour. The name żur is derived from the German word sur, or sauer, meaning sour, referring to the typical flavor of this popular, hearty soup.

Żurek

Spain

Zurrukutuna is a traditional bread soup originating from the Basque Country. The bread soup is typically made with a combination of sliced country-style bread or baguette, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt cod, piment&oacute;n or paprika, and salt. The ingredients are mixed with water and cooked until the flavors are well blended, and the bread is added near the end of cooking. If properly prepared, zurrukutuna should be chunky and without too much liquid. It&rsquo;s served warm in large bowls. The bread soup is especially popular during winter as comfort food. The name of the dish comes from the Basque word zurrup, meaning a sip or slurp, and kutuna, which means pleasant.