CLASSIFICATION OF SOUPS

 CLASSIFICATION OF SOUPS

Various factors such as raw materials used in the preparation, colour, origin, garnishes etc. influence the classification of the soups but the best way to classify soups are the classification on the basis of consistency, characteristics & nationality.

 The following table classifies the soups according to their consistency, characteristics & nationality.

Thin / Clear Soups

Clear soups are quite often termed as” thin soups” which are clear, flavoured nutritious liquids & are prepared without using starch. Most of the time rich meat stock is base of these soups. These are further divided into two categories i.e. passed / strained clear soups & unpassed / unstrained clear soups. These are discussed below in short.

1. Passed / Strained Clear  Soups : The clarification of soup is done by egg coagulation & to ensure more purification straining is advised through muslin cloth or high quality parchment paper. Consommé is the best example of passed clear soup.

Consommé : In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup (amber colour) made from richly  flavored  stock  or  bouillon that has been clarified, usually through a fining process involving egg protein. Consommé takes its name from the garnish with which it is served for example – Consommé Celestine,  Consommé Brunoise, Consommé Royale etc.

Cooking & serving Consommé :

A consommé is made by adding a mixture of ground meats, together with mire-poix (a combination of carrots, celery, and onions), tomatoes, and egg whites into either bouillon or stock. The key to making a high quality consommé is simmering; the act of simmering, combined with frequent stirring (before the raft forms, once formed do not stir!), brings impurities to the surface of the liquid, which are further drawn out due to the presence of acid from the tomatoes. Eventually, the solids begin to congeal at the surface of the liquid, forming a 'raft', which is caused by the proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins) in the egg whites. Once the 'raft' begins to form, the heat is reduced, and the consommé is simmered at a lower heat until it reaches the desired flavor, which usually takes anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour. The resulting concoction is a clear liquid that has either a rich amber colour (for beef or veal consommé) or a very pale yellow colour (for poultry consommé). It is then carefully drawn from the pot and passed again through a filter to ensure its purity, and is then put through a lengthy process where all of the visible fat is skimmed from the surface. To ensure total purification, the consommé can be refrigerated, which draws out remaining fat, which can easily be skimmed off with cheesecloth. Alternatively, the consommé can be placed in a wide, shallow container such as a sauté pan or large bowl and wide strips of parchment paper can be dragged along the surface; the tiny amounts of remaining fat adhere to the parchment, leaving the consommé perfectly de-greased. Cartilage and tendons should be left on the meat because of the gelatin they contain, which enhances the mouth feel of the soup. If beef or veal is used, shin meat is ideal because it is very low in fat and very high in gristle, and although it is undesirable for most other purposes, it is near essential for the flavour of the consommé. The meat is best if it is ground very fine, as if for a mousse line.

It is served piping hot in consommé cup & saucer with doily and the cutlery require at the table is joint spoon.  Generally the accompaniment of consommé is the garnish itself but sometimes celery stalk is offered to minimize the meat flavour present in the soup which may not be liked by many clients.

 

POPULAR CONSOMMÉ SOLD IN RESTAURANTS

 

ü  Consommé Alexandra     : Consommé garnished with the  juliennes of chicken & shredded lettuce (it’s a chicken consommé)

ü  Consommé Andalouse  : Consommé blended with tomato puree & garnished with royal pudding, juliennes of tomato & boiled rice.

ü  Consommé Brunoise      : Consommé garnished with small dices of spring vegetables.

ü  Consommé Celestine     : Consommé garnished with the strips (juliennes ) of pancake.

ü  Consommé Dubari          : Consommé garnished with blanched flowerets of cauliflower.

ü  Consommé Florentine   : Consommé garnished with juliennes of blanched spinach.

ü  Consommé Juliennes      : Consommé garnished with the juliennes of spring vegetables.

ü  Consommé Paysanne     : Consommé garnished with uniform size cut fresh vegetables.

ü  Consommé Royale          : Consommé garnished with savoury egg custard.

ü  Consommé St. Germain : Consommé garnished with fresh green peas.

 

1. Unpassed / Unstrained Clear  Soups : These soups are not clarified after preparation. Broths are the best example of unpassed clear soup.

Broths : Broths are similar to bouillons but the liquid is a little cloudy & contains all types of vegetables, meat, chicken etc. which are cut into regular shape. Some of the popular broths are – Scotch broth, chicken broth etc.

 

Thick Soups

Thick soups are generally passed soups except the Coulis which is exactly same to the bisque but the only difference is that of straining. The other examples of thick soups are described below.

Puree : These are pulps of vegetables like carrots, peas, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes etc. Starch vegetables like potato acts as self thickening agent while the others need an additional thickening agents. Examples of such soups are – tomato puree, puree parmentier, pea soup etc.

Cream : These are a blend of béchamel sauce with purees of vegetables, meat or poultry. Milk may be added to dilute & achieve correct consistency. Examples of such soups are – cream of tomato, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup etc.

Veloute : This is prepared by a blend of stock, roux & puree. The finishing is done by mixing cream & egg yolk as it enhances the taste & texture. Examples of such soups are – chicken veloute , celery veloute etc.

Chowder : These are heavy thick soup from America. The base is tomato or milk with seafood, potatoes, onions, pieces of bacon & various seasonings for flavor. Examples are- Clam chowder, Oyster chowder etc.

Bisque : This is a puree of shellfish thickened with cream of rice. It is a thick soup to which wine is added for flavor. This is a passed soup. Examples are – Bisque d’ Homard, Crayfish bisque etc.

Coulis : It is a shellfish soup  same as of the bisques. The only difference is that bisque is a passed soup & Coulis is unpassed soup.

 

NATIONALITY SOUPS

Nationality soups are nothing but the soups of various or a particular country which is accepted or famous at international level. These soups represent the  culture, tradition & cuisine of the country. Following chart represents the nationality soups of various countries along with the main ingredients used in the preparation.

Some Examples are as follows - 

        

Name of the Soup	Country
A
Asopao	Puerto Rico
Ajiaco (means something that contains many ingredients)	Colombia
Avgolemono	Greek
B
Borscht	Ukraine
Bourou-bourou	Corfu
C
Canh chua	Vietnam
Callaloo	Trinidad & Tobago
Cazuela (Spanish for cooking pot)	Chile
Clam Chowder	USA
Cock-a-leekie soup	Scotland
E
Egusi	Nigeria
Etrog	Israel
F
Fanesca	Ecuador
French onion soup	France
G
Gazpacho	Spain
Goulash	Hungary
Green turtle	England
H
Halászlé (fisherman's soup)	Hungary
I
Íslensk Kjötsúpa	Iceland
K
Kharcho	Georgia
Kulajda	Czech
Kyselo	Bohemia
L
Lagman	Uzbekistan
Lan Sikik	Thailand
M
Magiritsa	Cyprus
Menudo	Mexico
Minestrone	Italy
Miso soup	Japan
Mulligatawny  (means "pepper water")	India
N
Nässelsoppa (nettle soup)	Sweden
Nkatenkwan	Ghana
O
Okróshka	Russia
Oxtail soup	England
P
Petite Marmite	France
Philadelphia pepper pot	Philadelphia
S
Shark Fin	China
Sancocho	Latin America
Snert	Netherlands
T
Tarator	Bulgaria
Tom yum	Thailand
W
Waterzooi	Belgium
Y
Yukgaejang	Korea
Z
Żurek	Poland