Kinds of Soups

Soups, because of their almost endless variety in content and nutritive value, can be fitted into luncheon or dinner menus to serve different purposes such as:

1.    To stimulate appetite for the rest of the meal.

2.    To give nourishment to persons unable for any reason, to take solid foods.

3.    To be the mainstay of the meal.

4.    To supply large amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, mi­nerals and vitamins.

Most soups are made from stock. Stock is the liquid left from cooking meat, poultry or vegetables.

SOUP IS CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWS:

1.    Consomme — a well-seasoned stock, which is the liquid left from cooking meat such as veal, poultry or a combina­tion of both.

2.    Bouillon — is seasoned beef stock, free of fat and clarified.

3.    Vegetable Soup — vegetable stock contains valuable vitamins and minerals but because of its blandness, is added to meat stock, gravies or cream soup rather than used alone.

4.    Cream Soup — is made from thin or medium white sauce to which is added puree made from one or more vegeta­bles. Among the vegetables most commonly used for cream soup are corn, peas, asparagus, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, onions and white potatoes.

5.    Bisques — are usually made by combining thin white sauce with chopped sea food and often with some of the li­quid in which the sea food has been cooked.

6.    Chowders — are another variation of cream soup. They always contain diced or chopped vegetables or sea foods. Bits of browned salted pork and diced white potatoes are ingredients of a true chowder.