Soups - Add Variety and Spice to Your Diet

On a cold autumn or winter day, nothing warms the tummy like a nice hot bowl of soup. As a child, one of my favorite winter activities was to eat some chicken noodle soup filled with saltine or ritz crackers. Even now, I love to have a nice piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch on Sundays.

Soup is not just for defrosting oneself after spending some time in the chilly outdoors, though. Soups also make great appetizers for dinner parties and great anytime meals when you feel like eating light.

As a kid, I used to think that soup must necessarily come from a can or a packet, and that there were really only 2 kinds of soup, chicken noodle and vegetable beef. Adulthood has really opened my eyes to the dizzying array of soup recipes out there. Clam chowder has become one of my absolute favorite soups.

Soups come in all manner of consistencies, flavors, and heartiness. Here are just a few:

broth: Liquid resulting from meat, poultry or vegetables that have been simmered.
bouillon (boo-yoh): A clear thin broth made typically by simmering beef or chicken in water with seasonings.

bouillabaise (boo-yah-beys): a soup or stew containing several kinds of fish and often shellfish, usually combined with olive oil, tomatoes, and saffron.

bisque: a thick cream soup, esp. of puréed shellfish or vegetables.

chowder: a thick soup or stew made of clams, fish, or vegetables, with potatoes, onions, and other ingredients and seasonings.

gumbo: a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.

As you can see, soups come in many varieties, offering something for nearly every palate and diet. If you're feeling like having something a little different for your next dinner party, then try a good soup for an appetizer. Try to match your soup to the entree in order to give a little "preview" of what's to come. For instance, if you are serving a broiled salmon as an entree, then a good fish chowder might make an excellent appetizer for the meal.

Soups have something to offer nearly everyone, regardless of your tastes and preferences. Try a hearty, thicker soup if you are particularly hungry, or a lighter soup if you are not so hungry. If you're wanting to put a little variety into your diet, then soups are an excellent way to do so.
Allen is a life-long writer and reader who writes on a number of subjects including cooking, writing, and Internet marketing. Allen has several cooking related websites including sites about soups and stews, beef recipes, and pork.