Soup

Australia

This Solomon Islander dish combines chopped orange-fleshed gourds with coconut milk, lime juice, curry powder, and spices such as garlic, ginger, and onions in the creation of a hearty soup. In case someone might get confused, they have put almost all of the ingredients in the name of the dish. Quick and easy to prepare, this healthy soup is best when garnished with chopped coriander or basil leaves.

Curried Coconut and Lime Gourd Soup

Iran

Dal adas is a traditional vegetarian dish hailing from the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr, located on the Persian Gulf. Reminiscent of an Indian dal, this dish typically consists of red lentils which are simmered in vegetable stock with saut&eacute;ed onions and garlic, diced potatoes, tomato pur&eacute;e, and spices such as turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt. The combination is enhanced with fresh lime juice or tamarind paste, and it can have a thin and soupy or thick and stew-like consistency. This spicy lentil soup or stew is generally served with freshly chopped coriander and red chili on top, and it's usually accompanied by Persian rice or warm bread on the side.

Dal adas

One of the fundamental ingredients in Japanese cuisine, dashi is a type of soup and cooking stock often used as the base for different miso and noodle soups, donburi or rice bowl dishes, stews and many other kinds of nimono or simmered dishes. Dashi is typically made from kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (dried and smoked skipjack tuna), iriko or niboshi (anchovies or sardines), or a combination of these ingredients, all of which are naturally rich in glutamates and thus deliver an intense umami flavor to a number of Japanese dishes. There are several types of dashi and deciding on which kind of dashi to use for a particular dish depends solely on one's preference. Awase dashi is the most common all-purpose seafood-based stock made from a combination of kombu and bonito flakes. It is most often used for preparing dishes such as miso soup, oyakodon, oden, nikujaga, chikuzenni, tamagoyaki, etc. Kombu dashi is a vegetarian stock made exclusively with kombu; it has a mild flavor and goes well with either vegetable or fish-based dishes such as yudofu or clamp soup, as it doesn't overpower other flavors. Iriko or niboshi dashi is a seafood-based stock made from dried baby anchovies or sardines; it has a strong fishy aroma, but its flavor is not as strong. Compared to katsuobushi and kombu, this dashi is more affordable and most commonly used for making miso soup, noodle soup dishes like curry udon or kitsune udon, as well as various donburi and nimono dishes. Shiitake dashi is another vegetarian stock made by rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms. It is rarely used on its own; instead, it is usually combined with other kinds of dashi to enhance the flavor and add umami to various noodle soups and simmered dishes.

Dashi

Demik&aacute;t is a traditional Slovakian soup made with a combination of onions, garlic, lard, potatoes, stock, sour cream, and bryndza sheep cheese. The soup is typically flavored with black pepper, cumin, and ground red pepper, and it is garnished with chopped chives before serving. Due to the unusual flavors of bryndza cheese which is used in the soup, locals say that you will either love it or hate it. If desired, demik&aacute;t can also be served with gnocchi.

Demikát

Philippines

Also known as abraw and inabraw, dinengdeng is a traditional soup-like dish that's primarily made with a wide array of vegetables. It originates from the Ilocos region. The dish is typically prepared by boiling water in a pot, seasoning it with bagoong fish sauce, and then adding the vegetables, followed by fried or grilled fish on top, if desired. The vegetables used in dinegdeng most commonly include jute leaves, marunggay leaves, bitter melon leaves and fruits, alakon blossoms, amaranth leaves, calabaza squash and leaves, sweet potatoes, gourds, string beans, chili peppers, banana blossoms, okra, eggplant, corn, lima beans, mushrooms, taro, and yams. Before serving, dinengdeng can be topped with fish such as tilapia or bangus.

Dinengdeng

Domates &ccedil;orbası is a typical Turkish tomato soup featuring simple and fresh flavors. It consists of cooked or roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, flour, and water. The soup is often seasoned with salt and ground pepper, and it is traditionally garnished with a few fresh basil leaves. This light meal is typically prepared during hot summer days, acting as a refreshment. It can be served either hot or cold.

Domates çorbası

China

From the simplest versions prepared for weekday meals to the more elaborate ones served at various Chinese banquets and on special occasions, winter melon soup is a classic dish of Cantonese cuisine, popular throughout Southeastern Asia. Even though winter melons ripen in summer, they have a long shelf life and can be stored for up to a year, which is why this gourd is one of the few vegetables available during winter season. Apart from that, dong gua - as the Chinese call it - is particularly prized for its restorative, diuretic, detoxifying, and immunity boosting properties. And although the delicate flesh of dong gua has no distinct flavor of its own, the velvety, almost translucent cubes of this squash-like melon easily take on the rich flavors of pork or chicken broth used to make the soup. For a more wholesome meal, this versatile soup can be enriched with a wide variety of other ingredients: chicken meat, pork ribs, ham, bacon, dried shrimps or anchovies, crab meat, pearl barley, goji berries, lotus seeds, straw mushrooms, kombu seaweed, etc. Regardless of its name, winter melon soup is not only enjoyed as a heartwarming meal traditionally served in wintertime, but also as a refreshing dish which helps to bring down body heat during hot summer months.

Dong gua tang

United States

Doodle soup is a traditional soup originating from Bradford, Tennessee. The soup is made with a combination of meat drippings (from roasted chicken or game), vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt, sugar, flour, and water. This brothy soup is characterized by an intense vinegar flavor, although it has many versions. Once prepared, doodle soup is typically enjoyed with bread or crackers. The origins of doodle soup are quite murky &ndash; some claim that it was invented as a way to use the pan drippings from rotisserie chickens, while others say that it dates back to the Civil War when it was prepared for soldiers free of charge. Nowadays, there's a festival called Doodle Soup Days, and it's held each September annually.

Doodle Soup

Dovga is a soup made by cooking yogurt with a variety of fresh herbs such as dill, mint, and coriander. It is the national dish of Azerbaijan and can be served either cold in the summer as a refreshment, or warm in the winter. If it's served chilled, it is often ladled into traditional, deep bowls called kasa, placed right next to the serving plates for the main dish. Unlike regular soups, Azerbaijani soups are more concentrated and dense in consistency. Dovga is also traditionally served at the wedding tables, not as a first course but between meat dishes, acting as a digestion booster.

Dovga

D&uuml;ğ&uuml;n &ccedil;orbası is a Turkish wedding soup that is traditionally cooked in big cauldrons over an open fire before, during, and after a wedding. It is made with chunks of lamb (sometimes substituted with beef), carrots, onions, egg yolks, lemon juice, butter, and paprika. The soup is slowly cooked until the meat starts to fall apart, and it is then often thickened with flour. When served, a drizzle of melted butter combined with Turkish spices is spooned over each plate. The final result should be a soup with a rich lamb flavor and a slight tanginess coming from lemon juice.

Düğün çorbası

South Korea

Dwaeji gukbap is a popular South Korean soup made with pork, soy sauce, miso, rice wine, sesame oil, and bone broth. When served, the soup is accompanied by a variety of side dishes such as rice, shrimps, onions, noodles, kimchi, garlic, and green peppers, which can all be added into the steaming bowl of soup. Dwaeji gukbap started as a poor man's meal, dating back to the Korean War in the 1950s, when refugees from North Korea used to prepare it with beef. Over time, the soup became a popular local dish, especially in Busan. Today, most people enjoy this unique dish while drinking liquor, and it is especially beneficial for women who are recovering from childbirth.

Dwaeji gukbap

Ebbeh is a traditional African soup originating from The Gambia. This chunky soup is made with vegetables (usually cassava, but sometimes also sweet potatoes and coco yam), palm oil, chili peppers, lime juice, stock cubes, water, tamarind, and seafood such as bonga fish, catfish, prawns, and crabs. The cassava is boiled until tender, pounded with a pestle, then placed back into the pot with the leftover cooking water with the rest of the ingredients. The combination is simmered until all the ingredients become fully cooked. Before serving, all that's left to do is to adjust the seasonings and add a bit more lime juice, if desired, and ebbeh is ready to be consumed.

Ebbeh

Edikaikong is a Nigerian soup that is especially beloved because it is a valuable source of nutrition and vitamins. It is prepared with a combination of the following ingredients: crayfish, fish head stock, palm oil, ugwu leaves, waterleaf, Maggi cube, periwinkles, ofor, and onions. All of the ingredients can be used and some may be omitted depending on their availability. The name edikaikong means vegetable soup, and it is often served with eba, pounded yam, fufu, or wheat.

Edikaikong

Efo-riro is a hearty Nigerian soup native to the Yorubas. It usually consists of stock cubes, pumpkin leaves, onions, tomatoes, and assorted meat or fish. The name efo-riro means vegetable soup, and it is recommended to serve it with fufu on the side.

Efo-Riro

Indonesia

Empal gentong is a traditional soup originating from Cirebon. Cooked in a clay pot, the soup is usually made with a combination of beef, shallots, garlic, candlenut, turmeric, nutmeg, coconut milk, kecap manis soy sauce, cloves, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. There are many variations on the soup, so the ingredients may vary. The soup is slowly simmered in a clay pot until the meat becomes tender and starts to fall apart. Before serving, the soup is traditionally garnished with chives (kuchai), which give a mild garlicky and grassy flavor to empal gentong.

Empal gentong

Ertesuppe med flesk is a traditional soup originating from Norway. The soup is usually made with a combination of split peas, leeks, smoked ham, potatoes, rutabaga, and salt. The ham, leeks, and peas are covered with water and cooked until the peas and the meat become tender. The soup is simmered for about 2 hours and it's then seasoned with salt before serving. If the soup is too thin, it's recommended to cook it uncovered. Ertsuppe med flesk is typically served with boiled potatoes, mustard, and sliced rutabaga. The soup is especially popular on cold winter days.

Ertesuppe med flesk

Cameroon

Eru is a Cameroonian soup that is prepared with the eponymous wild plant called eru, which is ground or pounded before being stewed with palm oil, spinach, waterleaf, and either beef, crayfish, or cow skin. Water shouldn't be added after eru has been stewed, as the spinach will provide all the necessary moisture. It is recommended to pair the dish with garri or fufu. This soup is commonly prepared and consumed by the Bayangi people from the southwest parts of the country.

Eru soup

Eshkeneh is a traditional onion soup originating from Iran. Although there are numerous recipes, it&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of onions, potatoes, flour, olive oil, fenugreek, chicken stock, lemon juice, eggs, salt, and pepper. The onions are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil, and then mixed with turmeric and black pepper. The potatoes are diced and tossed in the mixture with flour and fenugreek leaves. The mixture is stirred, and chicken stock and lemon juice are poured over the mixture. The soup is simmered until the potatoes are tender, and eggs are dropped into the soup and poached. The soup is served hot, ideally with flatbreads and hafte bijar torshi pickles on the side.

Eshkeneh

Ewedu soup is a simple Nigerian dish made with ewedu leaves (also known as jute or molokhia leaves) as the key ingredient. The leaves are typically simmered in boiling water with ingredients such as egusi (ground African melon seeds), ground crayfish, bouillon cubes, kaun (potash), and ir&uacute; (locust beans). Traditionally, the soup is pounded using a special soup broom called ljabe until a semi-pureed consistency is achieved, although nowadays it is more often prepared with a hand blender or a jug blender as it is more convenient. In Nigeria, this dish is typically made by the Yoruba people, and it is usually accompanied by stew, meat, and African fufu (swallow foods) such as amala, semo, pounded yam, or eba on the side.

Ewedu Soup

A great example of Turkish regional cuisine, Ezogelin &ccedil;orbası is a hearty, mint-flavored soup made with red lentils, bulgur, pepper paste, and various Turkish spices. The origins of this classic Turkish winter dish are attributed to an unhappily married woman named Ezo who lived in the village of Dokuzyol near Gaziantep in the early 20th century. It is believed that Ezo used to make this soul-warming soup in a desperate effort to win over her mother-in-law's cold heart. Ezo's story was often depicted in films and lamented in folksongs, and her name still lives on in this flavorful dish. Today, apart from being served as a warm starter or even as a breakfast meal, Ezogelin &ccedil;orbası is traditionally prepared as soul food for the young brides-to-be in order to sustain them for the marital journey that lies ahead.