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It has been said that as long as there has been cooking, there has been soup. Soup is one of the oldest forms of nourishment that we have, and has a long tradition that spans cultures globally. These days most of us in Western cultures think of soup as the optional appetizer, or something that comes out of a can with some oddly preserved noodles, in a peculiar yellow-colored broth.

However, in many cultures, soup fills a central role in daily life, and is often considered vital to good health.

Variations on soups are abundant, but here are some of the more common broad categories:

- Broth, or consommé: These soups start with a clear broth or stock, and are what we think of as soups like chicken noodle soup.

- Bisque or puree: A richer opaque preparation that is often cooked first and then blended and optionally strained (though not always). Bisques and purees often contain cream components. A good example of a puree is classic tomato soup.

- Chowders: generally a seafood base that can be prepared with a wide variety of approaches; For example, New England Clam chowder is typically lighter in color with a cream and potato base, whereas Manhattan clam chowder typically uses a clear broth and is red, colored by tomatoes. Manhattan clam chowder is said to have originated as Italian clam soup. Corn chowder is another common variation.

- Sweet soups: Dessert soups and fruit soups are also popular worldwide, though not as common in North America. Ginataan for example, is an excellent coconut-based soup from the Philippines, and is served hot or cold. Norwegian fruktsuppe is also excellent cold, in hot summer locations in particular.

This is by no means a complete list - its just a quick portrait of the variety of soups that are common in the West. For a great list of dozens of categories of soup, see this Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup.

21 tips on enjoying soup in moderation

If you are adjusting your dietary habits to move toward eating real food in moderation, soup can be one of your best friends. In fact, in the book, French Women Don’t Get Fat – The Secret of Eating for Pleasure, Mireille Guiliano cites the use of “Magical Leek Soup” as part of the traditional French diet, particularly in the effort to maintain the shape you desire.

For me, soup has become an important part of eating real food in moderation. Here is a list of tips that I’ve found useful to keep in mind to tame the desire to grab the stockpot by the handles and swallow a few gallons.

1. Take the soup seriously! So often we think of soup as just the “warm up” (pun intended) to the real thing. In many cultures, soup is often the main course. Make it your main course!
2. Use a small bowl. This may seem obvious, but a lot of recent studies are making a strong connection between the amount we consume (or over-consume) with the amount that we make available to ourselves in the first place. In his book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan describes a study led by Brian Wansink that showed that most people will continue to eat what is on their plate or in their bowl (in this case, soup) until it is gone, regardless of how full they probably are. In this particular study, Wansink created a “bottomless” bowl of soup that refilled itself, unbeknownst to the test subject. In the majority of cases, the test subjects ate much more when using the bottomless bowl than those who had a definite stopping point. Here’s a link to details of the study: http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/13/1/93
3. Use a small soup spoon when eating (not the ladle sizes that we are used to at restaurants). Dining implements have become bigger as we have increased our portion sizes (and our belt lines). See the previous point for more details on why using a reasonably sized spoon is important.
4. Treat the soup as the “treat” part of the meal, not the filler. Soups can be a very delicate combination of flavors and aromas that deserve our focus.
5. Savor the flavors. Many soups use a delicate combination of flavors and aromas which can go by unnoticed if you simply gulp it down. Take your time - see if you can pick up all 5 taste sensations by paying attention to the bells that go off when it hits different parts of your tongue. The 5 taste sensations include bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and umami (which is sometimes thought of as meaty or savory). For more information on taste, see this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste
6. Enjoy with a glass of wine. Pairing wine with soup is generally not too complicated; a little searching on the Web will often turn up an excellent suggestion or two. For a good crash course in wine pairing, see this article: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/an-experts-pairing-advice
7. Accompany with a light salad, such as a salad of mesclun and a vinaigrette. While any salad variety will generally go well with a soup, a light salad with a vinaigrette dressing often complements soups well.
8. Enjoy with a piece or two of crusty bread, and dip it if you like. Go ahead and use that piece of crusty bread to “clean up” the bowl a little – often some of the best parts of the soup are the savory bits that are left at the bottom of the dish.
9. Garnish lightly, but garnish. Adding a touch of grated cheese, even a sliver of truffle, a homemade crouton, or fresh herbs can make an incredible difference in a soup. I am also partial to a small dollop of Crème fraîche in many purees. Adding a garnish also emphasizes the importance of appreciating the food that you are eating, and that it is as much for the experience as it is for the fuel.
10. Don’t overfill your spoon. Although there is something to be said for the sensation of soup dripping off of your chin (Proustian childhood flashbacks run rampant), for the most part, the soup is more enjoyable for you to absorb, rather than your napkin. Although you can eat your napkin if you think that will help fill you up.
11. Try soup for breakfast, Thai-style. My wife differs with me on this – but for me a savory soup for breakfast can be really satisfying. If you are feeling adventurous, find a Thai restaurant that serves breakfast and give it a shot. It’s one of my favorites. Particularly spicy soups that get you to “sweat” a little. Really gets the blood flowing.
12. Never buy soup in a can, if you can help it. Homemade soup is always better, and doesn’t contain anything that you can’t identify. Canned soup is one of those foods that gets us into dietary trouble, because many of them contain some of the worst artificial ingredients we have invented to date, including high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring and preservatives. Not to mention they often contain a ton of salt. That being said, you can find canned soups that don’t contain any of those negatives; however by and large soups do not have to be incredibly difficult to prepare, and as I mentioned, are almost always better with fresh ingredients. In fact, the Magical Leek Soup recipe mentioned earlier is little more than leeks and water, and its good.
13. If you do buy premade soup, dress it up with fresh ingredients. If it’s a broth-based soup, add fresh vegetables for example. It doesn’t have to be complicated - just be creative and use what you have.
14. Add a little rice to broth-based soups for heartiness. Try it with brown rice in particular – not only is brown rice rich innutrients, if you don’t care for the taste of brown rice, you will hardly notice that in a rich brothy soup. In fact it may just change your mind about brown rice.
15. Let it cool a little before you serve it. When a soup cools, not only does it make it easier to eat, but it often “sets up” a bit so that the flavor develops a little further. Give it a few minutes before you eat it – you’ll not only save your tongue, but you may please it a little more as well.
16. Freeze what you don’t eat. Many soups freeze very well, and are an excellent quick meal that can be prepared ahead of time.
17. Buy a good thermos. Bringing soup to work for lunch will not only save money, but allows you to have more control over what you eat midday, rather than stumbling through the cafeteria grabbing whatever looks good, or worse, grabbing drivethrough.
    Tip: The Japanese may very well be the Kings of lunch box and thermos design. For an excellent lunch container that is well worth the price, check out some of the offerings from Zojirushi, in in particular the Mr. Bento series. Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-Bento-Stainless-Steel-Lined-Silver/dp/B000246GSE.
18. Try it cold, in summertime. As I mentioned above, many cultures look forward to cold soups with a fruit base when the weather gets warmer. If this sounds unfamiliar to you, think about a good, juicy fruit salad – the best part is often the combination of juice in the bottom of the bowl.
19. Try dessert soups! Coconut-based soups are incredibly delicious, hot or cold.
20. Try restaurants that specialize in soup, particularly Asian cuisines. Pho is a favorite savory soup the world over. It generally consists of rice noodles in beef broth, with a variety of vegetables depending on your preference.
21. Eat seasonally – particularly with soups. If at all possible, use locally grown organic produce that is in season. There is a perception that organic food means higher cost – this can be true, however if you are buying what’s in season from local vendors, the cost is often very similar to conventional produce. When you buy locally and what is in season, the produce you’re eating has been picked at the peak of ripeness, and the vendors don’t use chemical processes to transport the produce for thousands of miles without ripening. In fact, if you can, take it to the next level – Grow your own!

Question to readers: How do you enjoy soup? What soups are your favorites?

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