Types of Soup: An Explanation of the Terms

When thinking of soups, an image of a thick liquid in a bowl may come to mind. However, soups are a far more complex food than you may expect. Not only do they come in any flavour imaginable, but also in many textures and consistencies. Due to the wide variety of soups available, you may come across various names that refer to different types of soup. To give you a better understanding of the different types of soup and the terminology that you may read or hear, the following is an overview of the different types of soups.

Some of the Different Types of Soup

Bisque

According to The Spruce, a bisque is a thick, creamy, and highly-flavoured soup made using crustaceans. Some examples of crustaceans used to make the stock for this dish include lobster, crab, crayfish, and shrimp.

Sometimes, people refer to a seafood bisque, although this term is redundant because all bisques are based on seafood. This type of soup is of French origin.

Broth

One of the most common terms you will hear that is an alternative to soup is broth, and there are two different meanings of this word.

The first is a thin, clear liquid that is like a highly-flavoured stock. People often serve this with a solid piece of protein, such as fish or meat,

Another interpretation is a soup that has the components cooked in the liquid and then is not blended at all to form the puree. Sometimes, the puree is thickened a little with cornflour or another thickener.

Bouillabaisse

This is a type of fish soup of provincial origin. It comes in many different varieties, depending on the type of fish or seafood used as ingredients, and the additional flavours added. It is often accompanied by a rouille, which is a mayonnaise-style sauce.

Chowder

Chowder is generally a seafood soup that has a thick and creamy sauce. Its origin is uncertain, although it is thought that it is connected to France and the French Caribbean. There are also links between chowder and English cuisine.

The English and French seafarers introduced this dish to North America, and it is now more associated with American cuisine than with French or English. Clam chowder is a particularly popular type of soup in the New England area of the United States.

Consommé

A consommé is a very thin, clear type of soup. It is a highly-flavoured stock, and the aim during cooking is to add as much flavour to the liquid as possible.

Once the flavour is added, the consommé goes through a process called a clarification, which involves adding egg whites to remove the fat and sediment from the broth. You then strain the mixture so that only the thin, clear liquid remains.

Gumbo

The official state cuisine of Louisiana, gumbo is a chunky type of soup of many variations. This type of soup is also known as gombo. It consists of a rich, thickened stock, either meat or fish, and chunky vegetables.

Although you can make a vegetarian version of this hearty soup, the most popular variations are meat and fish. The vegetables and other ingredients used varies from recipe to the next. However, the ingredients most commonly used include celery, bell peppers, and onions.

Potage

Potage is a term not only used to describe a type of soup but also porridges and stews created using the same cooking method.

A potage has all the ingredients, usually meat and an assortment of vegetables, cooked together in water until they begin to fall apart and form a thick soup.

Soup- A Generic Term for Types of Soup

Soup is the generic term that people use to cover all the different types of soup. Generally, people use the term soup when they have cooked the ingredients together and then blended them together with either a food processor or stick blender.

Vichyssoise

Traditionally, a vichyssoise is a type of soup that consists of leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Although you would usually eat this cold, you can also eat it hot.

However, there are many variations of this dish, and people often use the term vichyssoise to refer to any thick, creamy soup that you serve cold.

Are Stews and Casseroles Types of Soup?

Stew and casseroles are generally thicker and heartier than soups, as they contain large chunks of either meat or fish and vegetables.

Is a Dahl One of the Types of Soup?

Dahl is an Indian dish with lentil as the main ingredient. It is a thicker dish than soup that contains spices, and you can serve it as either an accompaniment or a main meal.

There are multiple variations of dahl, as people use different herbs and spices to flavour this dish, and some add meat or fish to create a heartier meal.

It is possible to make dahl with a looser consistency to create a soup with lentils and the flavours of Indian cuisine.

What About Curries- Are They a Soup?

As curry dishes have a sauce, there is some argument that you could consider them a form of soup. The word curry does not necessarily refer to the use of the curry leaf or curry powder in all cuisines.

One way of describing a curry is as a highly-spiced sauce. There are huge variations between the ingredients and flavours of the curries traditionally served in different countries. Likewise, there are regional variations within each of the countries.

In theory, you could classify some curry dishes as a soup. There are also some excellent soup variations that use the flavours of curry, such as mulligatawny soup.

Types of Different Soup- The final Verdict

Soup is a generic term to describe a dish that combines a variety of ingredients and is predominantly a thick liquid or puree. The different terms used to describe types of soup can indicate the ingredients, consistency, or origins of the soup. In most cases, soup terms are open to interpretation and you can adapt them to suit your own tastes.