Types Of Soup From Around The World. Here Are 55 Tasty Ones.

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Did you know that records of the first types of soups dated back to 6,000 BC? And that the main ingredient was the hippopotamus? Yeah.. it’s unimaginable but it’s true. Every culture in the world have their own types of soup. Some are thick, some are thin, some are spicy, some are taken with a side dish like bread. Below are soups drank by the world over.

  1. Ajiaco

    2. From Colombia, you have the Ajiaco, which ingredients typically include chicken, corn, at least two kinds of potatoes, sour cream, capers, avocado, and guasca.

  2. Albondigas

    3. A traditional Mexican meatball soup made with sauteed onions, garlic, broth, and tomatoes.

  3. Avgolemono

    4. Avgolemono in Greece means egg-lemon. This soup contains chicken, lemon and egg as it’s main ingredient.

  4. Borscht

    5. The strong red coloured vegetable soup from Eastern Europe that includes beet roots as it’s main.

  5. Bouillabaisse

    6. Bouillabaisse, originating all the way from the city of Marseille of France, is usually a fish stock containing different kinds of cooked fish and shellfish which usually are complemented with garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron.

  6. Broccoli Cheese

    7. The perfect broccoli cheese soup is thick, creamy, and cheesy.

  7. Caldo verde

    8. From the province of Minho, Northern Portugal comes this soup made of mashed potatoes, minced collard greens, savoy cabbage, kale, onions and slices of chorizo.

  8. Callaloo

    9. The thick, creamy soup made with okra and crab meat from Trinidad and Tobago.

  9. Chicken Soup

    10. The world’s most famous soup made from chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients.

  10. Chlodnik

    11. A cold variety of borsch — beetroot soup traditional to some Northern European and Slavic countries made with sour cream, soured milk, kefir or yoghurt, radishes or cucumbers, garnished with dill or parsley.

  11. Clam Chowder

    12. A New England soup that contains clams with potatoes, onions and bacon. When done right, clam chowder should be rich and filling, but not sludgy or stew-like. Its texture should be creamy without feeling leaden, like you’re sipping on gravy. Tender chunks of potato should barely hold their shape, dissolving on your tongue, their soft texture contrasting with tender bites of salty pork and briny clam.

  12. Cock-a-leekie

    13. From Scotland, the soup dish of leeks, potatoes, chicken stock and sometimes with a hint of prunes.

  13. Cullen Skink

    14. From the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north-east coast of Scotland comes the soup that is often served as a starter at formal Scottish dinners. Always thick with smoked Finnan haddock, potatoes and onions as its ingredients.

  14. Egg Drop

    15. A Chinese soup of beaten eggs, chicken broth, and boiled water. Condiments such as table salt, black pepper, and green onion are also commonly added.

  15. Erwtensoep

    16. A thick pea soup, eaten in the Netherlands as a winter dish, traditionally served with sliced sausage.

  16. Faki soupa

    17. Lentils as it’s main, this Greek soup is both healthy and filling. It has since been made popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Others include onions, carrots, olive oil, parsley and possibly tomato sauce or vinegar.

  17. Fanesca

    18. Traditional to Ecuador, Fanesca is usually served the week before easter and typically includes figleaf gourd, pumpkin, and twelve different kinds of grains (representing the disciples of Jesus), and salt cod (due to the belief that you must not eat red meat during these days).

  18. Fasolada

    19. Sometimes referred to as the ‘national food of the Greeks’. Fasolada is a soup of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables.

  19. French Onion Soup

    20. An onion and beef broth or a beef stock based soup traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings.

  20. Fufu and Egusi

    21. From Nigeria, Fufu and Egusi soup is made with vegetables, meat, fish, and balls of wheat gluten.

  21. Gazpacho

    22. Hailing from Spain, this vegetable soup is popular in warmer areas and during the summer, particularly in Spain’s Andalusia and Portugal’s Alentejo and Algarve regions. Gazpacho is a concoction of bread, tomato, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar.

  22. Ginataan

    23. A dessert soup from the Philippines whose name is derived from the Filipino word for coconut milk, ‘gata’, the main ingredient in the soup.

    Photo by riacale

  23. Ginseng

    24. A very popular type of health soup found in Chinese & Korean communities made out of Ginseng roots. Chicken and other herbs and spices are often added to it.

  24. Goulash

    25. The Hungarian spicy dish, made of beef, onions, red peppers, and paprika powder. Goulash draws its name from the Hungarian word for a cattle stockman / herdsman.

  25. Gumbo

    26. Originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century, gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions.

  26. Harira

    27. Harira is a famous Moroccan soup that uses lamb, fresh tomatoes, chickpeas, and lentils, flavoured with harissa hot sauce.

  27. Hot and Sour Soup

    28. Hot and sour soup is a Chinese soup claimed variously by the regional cuisines of Beijing and Sichuan as a regional dish. Hot and sour soup is a lot like chili; every family has their own recipe, and each family thinks that theirs is the best.

  28. Kimchi jigae

    29. A variety of jjigae or stew-like Korean dish made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, diced tofu, pork, and seafood, although pork and seafood are generally not used in the same recipe.

  29. Lablabi

    30. A straightforward Tunisian garlic and cumin flavoured chickpea soup served over small pieces of stale crusty bread.

  30. Lobster Bisque

    31. Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of lobsters.

  31. Menudo

    32. A traditional Mexican soup largely made out of tripe and hominy. It is considered by some as a cure for hangovers.

  32. Minestrone

    33. From Italy comes this vegetarian soup, made thick with the addition of pasta or rice. Beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes are commonly added to it.

  33. Miso soup

    34. Japan’s most famous soup made from fish broth, fermented soy and ‘dashi’.

  34. Mulligatawny Soup

    35. An Anglo-Indian curried soup which means ‘pepper water’ in Tamil.

  35. Iskembe Corbasi

    36. A type of tripe soup often seasoned with vinegar or lemon juice, prepared in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans.

  36. Pasulj

    37. A type of bean dish also popular throughout the Balkan nations. It is normally prepared with meat, particularly smoked meat such as smoked bacon, smoked sausage, and smoked joints, and is a typical winter dish.

  37. Pho

    38. The Vietnamese beef/chicken soup cooked with scallion, welsh onion, cherred ginger, wild coriander, basil, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and black cardamom.

  38. Pozole

    39. A pre-Columbian soup made from hominy, with pork, chile, and other seasonings and garnish, such as cabbage, lettuce, oregano, cilantro, avocado, radish, lime juice.

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  39. Rassolnik

    40. Rassolnik, made with kidneys or giblets and pickles, is known for hangover relief because rassol, the brining liquid from pickles, contains vitamins which help the body to hold water and counteract dehydration produced by drinking too much, which causes hangovers.

  40. Sambar

    41. A South Indian stew made from pigeon peas, vegetables, tamarind and spices, Sambar is an everyday dish in Southern India. One of the myth is that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler, Shahuji, during the 19th century from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shahji was trying to make a dish called amti, experimented with pigeon peas instead of mung bean, and tamarind pulp instead kokum, and the court named it sambhar after the guest of the day, Sambhaji, the second emperor of the Maratha Empire.

  41. Scotch Broth

    42. A filling soup from Scotland which principal ingredients are usually barley, a cut of beef or lamb, carrots, turnips or swedes, cabbage and leeks.

  42. Shark Fin

    43. A Chinese delicacy commonly served as part of a Chinese feast, usually at special occasions such as weddings and banquets as a symbol of wealth and prestige. However, due to an awareness campaign of the cruelty to sharks, worldwide sales shark’s fin soup has plunged. In 2012, the world’s biggest consumer of shark’s fin, China, passed a ban on imports and stopped the dish from being served in official banquets.

  43. Shchav

    44. A sorrel soup in Polish, Russian and Yiddish cuisines made from water, sorrel leaves, salt and egg yolks which is often served cold with sour cream.

  44. Solyanka

    45. Cabbage soup from Russia made of mainly three different kinds of main ingredient being either meat, fish or mushrooms. All of them contain pickled cucumbers with brine, and often cabbage, salty mushrooms, cream and dill.

  45. Sopa Negra

    46. Black bean soup Costa Rican style made of black beans, chicken broth, eggs, fresh cilantro, onions, garlic and sweet pepper.

  46. Sour Soup

    47. A Vietnamese dish made with rice, fish, various vegetables, and in some cases pineapple.

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  47. Tarator

    48. A cold soup popular in the summertime in Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia made from yoghurt, cucumbers, garlic, nuts, dill, vegetable oil, and water.

  48. Tomato Soup

    49. Tomato soup, a very popular comfort food in Poland and United States, is made in a variety of ways.

  49. Tom Kha Gai

    50. Made with coconut milk, galangal, lemon grass and chicken. The fried chillies add a smoky flavor as well as texture, color and heat, but not so much that it overwhelms the soup.

  50. Tom Yam

    51. One of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine known for its distinct hot and sour flavours made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, shallots, lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, and crushed chillis.

  51. Torpedo

    52. Found commonly in parts of Malaysia especially Penang, Sup Torpedo is a type of exotic soup that includes the penis of a bull as the main ingredient. It is reputed to be an aphrodisiac.

  52. Trahana

    53. Dried foods based on a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk, usually consumed as soup found in Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Iraq. The Turkish tarhana consists of cracked wheat, yoghurt, and vegetables fermented then dried. The Greek trahana contains only cracked wheat and yoghurt.

  53. Vichyssoise

    54. A French style soup made of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock traditionally served cold.

  54. Waterzooi

    55. Means “watery mess’ in Dutch. Made of fish or chicken, carrots, leeks and potatoes, herbs, eggs, cream and butter.

  55. Zurek

    56. A soup made from soured rye flour and meat, which is specific to Poland and other northern Slavonic nations such as Slovakia.

PS : Tell me, did I miss anyone’s favourite?

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92 thoughts on “Types Of Soup From Around The World. Here Are 55 Tasty Ones.”

  2. You did forget one: Malaysian Curry Laksa. Actually, you could probably find one or two more for your list in Malaysia/Singapore cuisine.

    Reply

  5. You didn’t miss them – Tom yum is definitely my favorite. However with that many really delicious looking exotic soups, I wish there were some links to the recipes for each of them. 🙂

    Reply

  10. How about Tom Kha Gai from Thailand?

    It’s a hot sweet soup made with coconut milk, lemon grass, and chicken (and sometimes with fried chillies).

    Reply

  15. sopa negra!
    costa rican black bean soup with cilantro and sort of a poached egg in it. it looks terrible but tastes amazing. and it’s also a great hangover cure.

    Reply

  16. Would have been nice to have seen Camembert Soup up there too! That is soooo delicious and unfortunately fattening

    Oh and don’t forget Fruit Soup for desert!

    Reply

  19. lentil soup… Turkish style if possible… hmmm squeeze lemon and dont forget to add red peppers once its served.

    Reply

  21. On UK TV recently they had a new invention of soup in a bun. Apparently not so new – photo 37 of your list is of soup in a bun.

    The bloke on tv used a twice baked bun to retain it’s structure for longer, and used a butternut squash soup. It looks fantastic fun to eat!

    Reply

  22. Hi there,

    I just stumbled accross your blog by using stumbleupon and love the design of the whole thing! I normally skip straight past food blogs as I have over 20 in my RSS and dont even have enough time to read the ones that I have! I am started out as a blogger myself and always tried to keep the design simple like yours as I think it is crucial, especially if you can back it up with some nice food pics like yours! Keep up the good work and if you feel like sharing some of the photos with other foodies pop over to http://www.ifoods.tv which is my new site for foodies! Cheers!

    Reply

  32. Ginseng soup is nowhere near as popular as kimchee jjigae in korea. fantastically flavorful, spicy soup. also commonly made with various seafood. nomnomnom

    Reply

  38. Thanks for such a nice collection. However, I feel that there are few more soups form the world definitely worth mentioning.

    1. Moroccan Harrira – wonderful soup/stew made of slowly cooked lamb, tomatoes, lentils, saffron and other. Very-very traditional for the Middle East.

    2. All american clam chowder – in my opinion, this is the best what the american cuisine has offered to the world.

    3. She crab soup – follows the clam chowder.

    4. Czech drstkova polivka (tripe soup) – this is the greatest for the winter time

    5. Mexican spicy crab soup. It might have its own name but, unfortunately I don’t know it. It is based on slightly roasted garlic and tomatoes, mashed with chilli peppers in the blender, and cooked with the seafood (crab legs is the must), olive oil, and garnished with greens and avocados.

    6. Russian okroshka. Cold soup based on the local bread beverage “kwas”. Excellent for summer.

    7. Russian ukha (oukha) – simple, yet very tasty fish soup.

    8. Russian gorokhovy (bean soup) – slowly cooked with beans and smoked pork and beef.

    9. Russian gribnoy (mushroom soup) – based on porchini mushrooms, potatoes, noodles, carrots and so on (recipes vary from family to family). Strongly recommend.

    10. Chinese hot and sour soup. It is quite different from the thai tom-yum.

    11. Chinese seafood soup. Very tasty!

    By the way, I wouldn’t call goulash a soup – it is a stew, similar to chilli.

    Hope this helps and thank you once again.

    Reply

    1. Actually, you are incorrect. Gulyas (or goulash) is, in fact, a soup. Many make the mistake of thinking it’s a stew!

  39. The Institute of hotel and restaurant management Dona Paula will be featuring NATIONAL SOUPS in its TRAINEE RESORT AND RESTAURANTS in the month of January 2013.
    Special emphasis will be given to National Soups…from this website..(very well done with recipes)
    Bon Appetite.

    Regnauld Mortimer
    DIRECTOR………iHRM GOA.

    Reply

  42. Zurek is the best soup ever, please mind that polish cuisine is one of the biggest in soups area, Borscht is also perfect taste to try

    Reply

  44. LOVED this! I’m a food writer for the SAN DIEGO UNION/TRIBUNE, and hope to find recipes for some of these fascinating soups for an upcoming article I’ve been assigned. I’d like to interview you (with credit to your blog, of course) by email, about these and any other diverse fall/winter soups of the world that you may know of. If interested, please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks so much! Terry Tucker Hinkley, Food Writer.

    Reply

    1. The word Ramen actually refers to the noodle, not the soup.

      Thanks to you Shezad, Sambar is now in the list.

  52. You left out the greatest soup ever, the (South) Australian pie floater. It’s a meat pie floating in green pea soup, with tomato sauce (ketchup) on the pie. Awesome, particularly when intoxicated. Sold from mobile pie trucks late at night.

    Reply

  53. You got Zurek and Miso, so you hit the impoortant ones 😉 But I think the various types of ramen are pretty famous too!

    Reply

  54. Chicken noodle and cream of tomato not being there is unforgivable. Other than that, you got a solid list.

    Reply

  57. Philipphine Sinigang…Sour Soup usually from Tamarind but sometimes Guava, Calamansi lime, Green Mango….Don’t think, Just Add it

    Reply

  59. Sopa de Ajo, Spanish Garlic Soup! Chef John from Foodwishes does a pretty mean version of it. The one from myrecipes looks pretty amazing too.

    Reply

  60. Classic American: Pea, Navy Bean – the favorite in the Congressional restaurant, Lentil, Italian Wedding, Peanut Soup (Virginia), Conch Chowder, Sour Cherry

    Reply

  61. Loved the article. What about European style Liver Dumpling Soup, Garlic Soup (often served to those with colds instead of chicken soup), Czech String Bean Soup with Bacon and Vinegar (Polievka zo Zelenej Fazule), did I miss the Cioppino? What about Kaernemaelkskoldskal (cold buttermilk soup), Zuppa de lenticchie con finocchio (Sicilian style Lentil Soup with Fennel), Oxtail Soup, or humble vegetable or corn chowder soups? One of my favorite dishes was also turned into a soup — stuffed cabbage soup. I also love Canadian Habitant soup made with Yellow Peas, Ham and Thyme but sometimes containing a pinch of allspice. Other faves include post-Thanksgiving Turkey Noodle Soup or retro Pepper Pot soup. Here’s another, Wisconsin Cheddar Soup with Popcorn. Famous Bookbinder’s Soup from the Drake Hotel in Chicago with Snapper and sherry Thanks again to all who contributed!

    Reply

    1. It’s Indian, not Sri Lankan. The name originates from the Tamil words millagai / milagu and thanni (மிளகாய்த்தண்ணி / மிளகுத்தண்ணி) and can be translated as “pepper-water”, also known as “Raassam”.

  68. Pumpkin Bisque, with maple syrup and heavy cream added afterward, served hot in the pumpkin itself. Absolutely delicious.

    Reply

  69. so many of these sound devine… would love to have the receipts for these soups… how do I get them???

    Reply

  70. In Honduras there is a delicious soup ususally served on Sundays at midday called Mondongo. It is another tripe based soup, but completely different from the Mexican one.

    Reply

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