Common Types of Soup

Bisque - a thick, rich cream soup usually containing seafood. Newer recipes may use poultry or vegetables in place of seafood. At one time bisques were thickened with rice, but today they are more frequently thickened with roux.

Bouillabaisse - a highly seasoned seafood stew made of fish, shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, garlic, saffron and herbs.

Broth & Bouillon (Stock) - a strained liquid that is the result of cooking vegetables, meat or fish and other seasonings in water.

Chowder - a thick, chunky soup or stew usually containing seafood, potatoes, and milk or cream. The word ‘chowder’ comes from the French word ‘cauldron,’ which means cooking kettle. Vegetables or fish stewed in a cauldron became known as chowder in English-speaking nations (a corruption of the name of the pot or kettle in which they were cooked). The first chowders prepared on the North American continent were brought by French fishermen to Canada.

Consomme - a clear soup made of strained meat or vegetable broth, served hot or as a cold jelly.

Court Bouillon - a broth made from cooking various vegetables and herbs, usually an onion studded with a few whole cloves, celery, carrots and bouquet garni (parsley, thyme and bay leaf), perhaps with a little wine, lemon juice or vinegar; used as a poaching base for fish, seafood or vegetables.

Cream soups - soups that are thickened with a white sauce.

Gazpacho - an uncooked soup made of a pureed mixture of fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumber, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and sometimes lemon juice which is served cold; also may be served 'chunky-style.'

Gumbo - a Cajun/Creole delicacy of South Louisiana, reflecting its rich history: wild game or seafood (from the Acadians), thickened with okra (from the Africans), file (from the Indians) and/or roux (from the French). Gumbo is a thick, robust soup with hundreds of variations including chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp and okra gumbo, oyster gumbo and seafood gumbo.

Minestrone - a thick soup of Italian origin containing assorted vegetables, peas and beans, pasta (such as vermicelli or macaroni) and herbs in a meat or vegetable broth.

Stew - a dish containing meat, vegetables and a thick soup-like broth made from a combination of the stewing liquid and the natural juices of the food being stewed.