What Are The Classification Of Soup? | 4 Types Of Soup With Examples |

Herein follows the most comprehensive classification of soup you will ever find online. Now, who doesn’t like soup? You can prepare it on a cold day for warmth, it is easy to prepare, and it is one of the most delicious consumables in the entire world. But did you know there are many kinds of soup that you can get for your money’s worth?

This simple classification of the soup chart will help you bear it all in mind.

Thin Soups	Clear Soups Broth/Bouillon Chunky Soups
Thick Soups	Bisque Cream Soup Chowder Pureed
Cold Soups	Gazpacho Vichyssoise Naengguk Ajoblanco
National Soups	Goulash Gumbo

Classification Of Soup With example

Table of Contents

1. Thin Soups

Thin soups are the first and most common variety of soups on Earth. There is a high chance you have eaten it in childhood, or even after growing up if you were down with a fever. As the name suggests, thin soups do not have any kind of thickening agent in them. They are thin and clear, and you can whip them up in minutes.

Now, thin soups can be further divided into a few more categories.

Clear Soups

Once again, as the name suggests, clear soups do not possess any thickening factor and are extremely delicate. Moreover, contrary to popular perception, they do not taste thin and weak. Clear soups have a very distinct flavor that may be rich and pungent.

They are also known as passed soups because they are passed through strains. The French Consomme is one of the most famous examples of a clear soup. It is made of clarified meat or fish and is very delicious.

Clear soups are highly popular in hospitals because they are a good source of nutrition and help clear the digestive tract.

Broth, or Bouillon

The broth comes in many flavours like beef, chicken, mutton, turkey and a variety of other meats. The best thing about broth is that it also comes in powdered form. We have all seen stock cubes, right? That is precisely what makes it one of the most popular varieties in the world. Furthermore, cooking broth is extremely easy. You just have to add bones, meat, fish and vegetables and let it simmer for some time until very thick gelatin begins to form. Serve it piping hot after that, and enjoy the flavourful taste.

Chunky Soups

The Minestrone is a very good example of a chunky soup. It is basically a vegetable or meat-based stock that leaves chunks in the soup after it has been cooked and strained into a bowl. Simply put, it only means you have not removed any chunks from the soup before serving it. Who doesn’t like a bit of meat to chew on while he is guzzling a thin soup, isn’t it?

2. Thick Soups

Thick soups are heartier and more filling than clear soups, with a thicker consistency and more ingredients. They often contain chunks of meat or vegetables and can be made with a variety of bases, such as cream, tomato, or vegetable broth. Thick soups include stews, chowders, and bisques.

Let us take a look at some of the most common types of thick soups from around the world.

Bisque

Bisque is a kind of thick soup with shellfish in it. It basically involves extracting flavour from crabs, prawns, lobsters etc. and mixing it together with other ingredients to form a delicious, rich dish. In some traditional cuisines, the shells are ground and added to the mixture to make it even more thick, adding to the taste. The thicker, the better is what one must follow while making bisque.

Cream Soup

This kind of thick soup is widely available in restaurants and grocery shops and you can even whip it up at home with a few ingredients if possible. Cream soups are made of a variety of ingredients like tomato, chicken and mushrooms. The soup’s defining characteristic is that it must be thinned with a little milk or cream before serving. The addition of cream only leads to an increase in taste as it also soothes the tastebuds while being spicy.

Chowder

Chowder is an American staple, one of the most historical soups invented during the country’s defining centuries. Two of the most favourite types of chowder are clam chowder and corn chowder. It is made creamy by adding heavy cream or milk. To make it thick, some people often use biscuits and crackers as well. Chowder is easy to make, even with limited ingredients, and has a delicious flavour.

French settlers made a dish called chauderie by stewing together a variety of ingredients. The word has French origins. Also, it was supposedly a custom among the French settlers.

Pureed

To make pureed soup, you boil vegetables with a stock base, then blend them together to make a puree. It’s usually made with a stock cube, water, onions, and a vegetable like carrot or parsnip. Pureed soup is a common type of thick soup that can be homemade. It is one of the most common thick soups in the entire world.

You can puree many vegetables to make soup, like potato, cauliflower, tomato, sweet potatoes, beans, and carrots. Salmorejo and Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup are examples of pureed soups thickened by the main vegetable’s starch. Pureeing is an important part of making these soups thick.

3. Cold Soups

Cold Soups take the cake when providing a hearty lunch or breakfast. Especially for people living nearer to the Equator, they are of immense help because they can provide instant refreshments without much hassle. It does not take much time to make a bowl of cold soup.

Here are a few cold soups from around the world with historical origins.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It’s popular in Spain and Portugal, especially during hot summers, because it’s refreshing and cool. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread to other areas. Now that’s something to say about globetrotting cuisines. You can try this soup in your kitchen as well.

Gazpacho is usually made with stale bread, tomato, cucumbers, onion, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, water, and salt. Some recipes from northern areas include cumin and smoked paprika. In the past, people made gazpacho by pounding vegetables with mortar and pestle.

Vichyssoise

Vichyssoise is a soup made of cooked and blended leeks, potatoes, onions, and cream. It’s served chilled and often topped with chopped chives. The fame for inventing this exceptionally delicious soup goes to chef Louis Diat. The Vichyssoise is cooked in light milk and cream and often served with heavy cream, chilled, to soothe the palate. Try this in summer, and you’ll love this variety. It is both refreshing and soothing for the belly.

Naengguk

Naengguk is a cold Korean soup that is eaten mainly in summer. It has a clear and plain taste and is divided into two categories based on seasoning and ingredients. The first category is made with chilled water and vinegar to give a sour and sweet taste, while the other category is made to supplement health and has rich tastes such as chicken, sesame, or soybeans. The history of Naengguk goes back to the Goryeo period.

Ajoblanco

Ajoblanco is a cold soup from Spain that comes from Granada and Málaga. It’s made from bread, almonds, garlic, water, olive oil, salt, and sometimes vinegar. People often eat it with grapes or melon. In Extremadura, they make a similar dish called Ajoblanco extremeño, but it has egg yolk and doesn’t usually have almonds.

4. National Soups

Soup has been a part of many cultures for a long time, and different countries have their own special types of soup. For example, Hungary has Goulash, and Scotland has Cullen Skink. There are many types of soup from all over the world, and you could even travel around the world just to try different soups!

Goulash

Goulash is a soup or stew from Hungary made with meat, vegetables, paprika, and other spices. It’s a famous dish in Hungary and is also eaten in other parts of Europe. It originated in the 10th century as a stew made by Hungarian shepherds. Paprika wasn’t added until the 16th century. It is a thick and delicious soup. Also, it has now almost become synonymous with Hungarian culture, and many tourists are encouraged to try it at least once when they visit Hungary.

Gumbo

Gumbo is a stew from Louisiana, a state in the United States. It has a strong flavour and is made with meat or shellfish, a thickener, and vegetables like celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo can be thickened with okra or filé powder from dried sassafras leaves. It’s a popular dish in Louisiana and is even the state’s official cuisine.

If you are still in a dilemma about what are the classification of soup, we have your back. You can easily divide them into four broad categories: thin, thick, cold and rational. These categories will help you select your next delicious meal wisely.