To think about it, soups are just plain water mixed with ingredients like meats and vegetable, placed to a boil, chilled and then served. Simple isn’t it? Indeed the concept behind soups is just simple but what it brings to the body is what’s complex.

Different soups of different region all claims their very own benefits for these soups. Every culture boasts for an exceptional culinary masterpiece.

The Japanese have their traditional miso soup that does wonders to the body; the Chinese have their ginseng soup, and the Greeks – they have their Faki Soupa.

Faki soupa is a type of soup that originated in Greece. Its main ingredient is lentils. A lentil is a plant from the legume family. It is brushy and it widely known for its lens-shaped seeds.

Aside from the lentils used in the soup, they are also complimented with spices such as onions, parsley, carrots, and then dressed with olive oil, vinegar or tomato sauce.

Greek families usually have a plate-full of faki soupa for lunch without bothering having anything else on top of it. But some may compliment it with cheese or bread.

Not only is it scrumptious but it is also very filling. And guess what, it is also very simple to prepare. To prove it, here is a simple recipe to making the perfect faki soupa.

You will need brown lentils, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper. First, cover the lentils with cold water and then heat it up and bring it to boil.

Drain the water from the pan and repeat process now adding the garlic, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, and oregano. Simmer until the lentils become soft.

Remove it from the heat and then blend, blend just enough to make it just the right consistency, not too smooth. Lastly, season it for flavor.

Faki Soupa is not just your average-every-day soup for it fills up your tummy more. You can have it as an appetizer before a tasty meal or even indulge on yourself.

There are countless ways to enjoy it but anyway you eat it; it will always be a very wonderful experience that will leave your taste buds wanting for more. So, what are you waiting for?

Dessert is a supplemented course typically served after the end of a meal. It is mostly sweet foods but can sometimes be as strong as cheese. However, the eating of fresh fruits and nuts after meal may sound very ancient; believe it or not, this practice is considered as a recent development in Western dining.

Traditionally, fruits were readily utilized because they are more common and easily obtainable to all levels of society. Sugar and sweet were then just a privilege to the rich and the famous, and that’s only on rare holidays!

Can you imagine that? But no longer will you be deprived of these tasty after meals because due to the rapid decrease of price in sugar, almost all of us can afford and indulge in these heavenly creations.

But unlike the sweet sinful treats that you are expecting as a long reference to desserts, what I’m going to tackle in this short article are regarding Dessert Soups. A dessert soup is just like your typical after meals but just in a liquid presentation.

Most of them are thick in consistency although variations may differ. To give you the perfect example of thick soup, feast your eyes in one of the most popular dessert soups:

Berry Soup

This Dutch dessert soup is perfect for busy people who would prefer breakfast on the go. It even can be stored for as long as a week! Fruits included can be varied depending on your preference.

To make a fresh cold bowl, you will need frozen raspberries, barley, white sugar, raisins, cherries, and water. Fill a big bowl with half-full of water, and then soak in the barleys overnight.

On the very next day, simmer the barley mixture for an hour, add the sugar, raisins, and raspberries, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Finally, add the cherries and then continue to simmer until the mixture become thick. Let it chill in the fridge and then serve.

Dessert soups are a breath of fresh air from you traditional hot soups. They are served at the end of the meal as opposed to your regular hot soups which are used as appetizers at the onset of the course. Truly, soups may come in different shapes and forms.

Modernization doesn’t only pay attention to high-tech gadgetry, but along with the development of almost everything, soups are indeed not an exception!

That’s right. There has to be fat. So who ever said you can’t consume any fats at all? This means “zero fat” is bad, but “low fat” is recommended.

That premise substantiates the idea behind this squash soup recipe that combines tasty squash and cream cheese. If you use plenty of cream cheese, more than what is recommended in this squash soup recipe, you’ll overpower the taste of the yellow vegetable.

It can be an excellent underhand tactic to coax your children into eating squash but some grown-ups might prefer to lessen the quantity of cream cheese to be able to taste the squash and reduce the fat.

This squash soup recipe can be ready in an hour, which is typically the length of time it takes to cook a whole lot of other soups and stews. The preparation is also very simple that even novice cooks and parents-who-are-trying-to-cook can handle.

Wear that apron now and prepare these ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons chopped onion,
• 4 tablespoons margarine,
• 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash,
• 3 cups water,
• 4 cubes chicken bouillon,
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram,
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper,
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, and two 8-ounce packages cream cheese.

Use a large saucepan for this squash soup recipe so all the squash can be contained. Heat the saucepan and sauté onions in melted margarine until it wilts.

Add in the squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper, and cayenne pepper for the spice. Cook the ingredients for 20 minutes in boiling water or until the squash is al dente.

Next, transfer the ingredients, including the cream cheese, in a blender or food processor until the contents are smooth. Replace it into the saucepan and heat through but do not boil it again.

This squash soup recipe contains about half of an adult daily allowance of sodium because of the cream cheese. Again, you can cut the quantity of cheese into half for lesser sodium and fat.

Per serving of this recipe can provide 247% of recommended daily value of Vitamin A, as well as other important nutrients. Don’t worries about the vitamin A – the body simply store that for future use.

Researches have proven that humans have long been making use of seafood as a typical provision to sustain the stomachs of people all throughout the world. The main reason is that seafood is easily hunted as food compared to other animals.

They would just make use of a basket-like trap or sometimes spears for bigger fishes. Fish is a very significant constituent in our diet. That’s why many civilizations, up until now, have relied living on fishing.

On the other hand, to further have a drink during cold winter’s day, ancient people have developed making soups. By definition, soups are merely plain water mixed with any ingredient more commonly with vegetables and meats, including fish meats.

It is then placed to a boil until the flavors are well extracted in a so-called broth. This procedure was the simplicity of olden soups, but due to the modernization of almost everything, soups were not an exception. They were as well revolutionized thus the birth of varied soup recipes.

One of the most famous and a long favorite of health conscious individuals are seafood soups. Seafood soups are merely any type of edible sea animal brought to a boil, embellished with different condiments, and seasoned with spices.

This is the sole concept behind a seafood soup. However, we cannot say for a fact that there is an ultimate recipe for it because whatever ways we look at it, we could never find one. Why? You may ask. It is simply because countless techniques and variations are used for its preparation.

One very common seafood soup recipe is a Fish Stew. It is not only scrumptious but it is also easy to make. You just need to cook desired vegetables until they become tender and brown. Then season it with spices, your choice.

Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes and then lastly add the fish and then simmer for another 15 minutes. It is preferably topped with Parmesan Cheese (grated).

It sounds delightful, isn’t it? I, myself is even drooling over the very simple yet tasty seafood soup. Seafood will always be one food that will always be reinvented into a more heavenly treat for everybody to enjoy.

In fact, even the leanest of meats still contain saturated fats inherently found in meats. Additionally, peas contain other essential nutrients aside from protein that you can’t otherwise obtain from pork, beef, and chicken.

Most, if not all, of vegetarians would tell you how they are able to maintain their vigor through eating only plant-based foods.

However, this pea soup recipe is not coaxing you into turning into a vegan, but it opens an opportunity for people who haven’t been successful in their struggle to lose weight.

This pea soup recipe combines other vegetables for a healthier soup. You can add in your own set of vegetables in this recipe for another variant but be sure to stick to the other ingredients to retain the original recipe’s flavor.

If you want extra convenience, simply use your leftover ham instead of giving it to your pet. Prepare the following ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion,
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil,
• 1 pound dried split peas,
• 1 pound ham bone,
• 2 medium-sized carrots cut into 1″ pieces,
• 1 potato diced, and salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Using a medium stockpot, sauté onions in vegetable oil until onion wilts and is translucent. Make sure to remove the pot from heat then add the split peas, ham bone, carrots, and potatoes. Pour water into the mixture and season with salt and pepper according to your taste.
2. Replace the lid and cook for a couple hours over medium heat until the peas are generally pureed. Check the mixture occasionally to see if water has not evaporated or pour in additional amounts of water if needed until the peas are cooked.
3. Once the soup turns a greenish liquid, take the pot out from the heat and leave to stand until the mixture thickens. This pea soup recipe tastes more delectable and satisfying when hot so it may need you to reheat the soup once it’s ready for serving.

This soup is excellent for people trying to recover from an illness or under dietary restrictions. It only contains 2.5 grams of fat, 18mg of sodium, no cholesterol, 29.6 grams of dietary fiber (equivalent to more than 100% of dietary requirement), and 28.3grams of protein.

This pea soup recipe is a scrumptious starter for a meal or a healthy meal by itself.

Some onion soup recipes will take you hours, if not a day, to prepare, which defeats the purpose of soups as easy-to-prepare dishes for satisfying hungry and cold stomachs.

However, you’ll discover that this recipe only takes a few minutes to make that includes ingredients found in your own kitchen – except maybe for the provolone and parmesan cheese. Overall, the ingredients should just be in your collection of condiments.

You will need the following ingredients to make this mouthwatering onion soup recipe:

• ½ cup unsalted butter,
• 2 tablespoons olive oil,
• 4 cups sliced onions,
• four 10.5-ounce cans beef broth,
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (but this is optional),
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme,
• salt and pinch of pepper to season,
• 4 slices French bread,
• 4 slices provolone cheese,
• 2 slices Swiss cheese diced, and a quarter of a cup grated Parmesan cheese.

For your own version of this onion soup recipe, try any cheese available in your refrigerator. Now that you have all the ingredients, you can begin by melting butter with the olive oil over medium heat in an 8-quart stockpot.

Sauté onions until they are wilt and translucent but take care not to burn them. Next, pour the beef broth, thyme, and sherry. By this time, you can already add in salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 30 minutes.

While waiting for that, you can prepare the oven broiler for the grand finale of broiling cheese on top of the bread layer.

Carefully ladle soup into serving bowls that are oven-safe and place a slice of French bread on top of the slices. If you prefer, the bread may be broken into large crumbs.

Next, on each serving, place a slice of provolone cheese, half a slice of diced Swiss, and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Finally, put a cookie sheet under the bowls and broil in the preheated oven until you see the cheese melting and slightly browned.

This onion soup recipe provides 122% of saturated fat because of the cheese but its otherwise nutritious, too. It has significant levels of Vitamin A, C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, as well as calcium, thiamin, magnesium, iron, and folate per bowl of serving.

I am not proposing that soups can help you lose weight, but by eating it prior to a meal, it can just be all the food that you might need.

Conceptually, soups are merely plain water mixed with various ingredients, like vegetables and meat and placed into boil until the flavors are extracted in a so-called broth.

The accurate time which soups first existed is unknown. However, they said that boiling was not a cooking method until the creation of waterproof containers about 5,000 years ago. So, it was suspected that soups were known around that time.

Over time, this tasty liquid provision was referred to differently for countless number of years. The language and its name may have altered over time, but the concepts behind it production and purpose are pretty much the same.

By the dawn of the 18th century, soups are revolutionized where they are prepared in a much thicker consistency. They just merely added more of the solid ingredients to make it more creamy and rich.

At present, there are countless types of soups, from using plain vegetables to the modernized meat soups of today. Variations of technique for its preparation have also emerged.

From the plain old hot staple drink of yesteryears to the cold refreshing fruit soups of today, it is really unpredictable what alterations can we expect next.

Soups are classified to either thick or clear in consistency but most meat soups are thicker due to the simple reason that the ingredients are much more solid and the meat contains more fats than vegetables.

When you talk about meat soups, almost any type of meat can be included, and no matter what it still taste so good. The most common meat bases are chicken, beef, and pork stocks. Let me give you a simple recipe of one of the most popular meat soups – Beef Soup.

Simmer the beef and the bones into a large pan with water for about two hours to extract the purest broth from the beef. As the foams form, slowly add carrots, parsley, celery, and seasonings of your choice.

Continue to simmer for half an hour until the vegetable are soft enough. Serve in a shallow bowl. Meat soups are widely known worldwide and countless or recipes are derived from them. It is a sure way to fire up that cold winter’s morning. Scrumptious, isn’t it?

They were served as complimentary beverages with a meal as opposed to being just appetizers of today.

Korea geographically is situated in East Asia. It is sub divided into North Korea and South Korea. The country is now known as one of the most influential countries all throughout the world.

Just like its neighbor country China, Korea has also been homing to countless of firsts in different aspects of development.

We are not referring about high-tech gadgetry and modern innovations although they also play a major contributor of such. What I would like to stress out in this article is the resourcefulness behind Korea’s culinary expertise.

Koreans are known for their ingenuity in making use of their creative imagination and incorporating it to their cooking skills. Along with the many Korean foods, it is without a doubt that their known creativity would also reflect in smaller things such as Korean Soups.

Okay, it is truly an understatement when I used the word “small” as an adjective to Korean Soups because this staple drinks is one of the biggest parts of the development of most Korean recipes.

Drinking soup in the morning is a normal Asian tradition which is very much alive until now. They believe that this soup rejuvenates and revitalizes the diner’s life.

A very good example of this so-called tradition is still widely found in the consumption of Ginseng soup. According the Korean medicine, ginseng provides Yang energy that aids in the circulation of blood, rejuvenates, stimulates the mind and the body, and helps in recovering from weakness after a major illness.

Ginseng is the most precious herb in Eastern medicine. It belongs to a family of slow growing perennial plant. They say that although the waiting time is long, but the harvest of these ginseng plants is always worth the wait.

It is widely grown in the northern Hemisphere specifically abundant in Korea (north), China, and Siberia. This plant is primarily grown as the main ingredient for most Korean Soups.

Korea is a country infamously known for their political strength and stability. They are indeed a strong country; truly an underdog that will never stop fighting for glory.

All of these personalities reflect in whatever undertakings they do, even in their very own culinary enchantment – their very own Korean Soups.

Soups are rapidly gaining more and more popularity nowadays. That’s why more and more kinds of soups and variations of techniques practiced have grown as well. Soups come in two varieties, thin or clear soups and thick soups.

Clear soups are easier to make for it only involves simple ingredients. While, thick soups are made with several condiments and pureed with a thickening ingredient.

In the ancient times, soups are treated as health supplements which have medicinal benefits. However, today due to the modernization of soups and pretty much some of the ingredients added, it doesn’t bring forth much of that anymore.

Nevertheless there are still a lot of kinds of soups especially Asian soups that still cater to body enhancement and mind cleansing. Soups are usually hot that’s why it has become a favorite provision during cold weather.

Soups are mostly served as an appetizer to gourmet restaurants; however a bowl-full of these can fill up the tummy.

Different kinds of soup follow dissimilar ways of preparation. However, the rule of thumb when cooking one is to use ingredients in appropriate proportions. To add flavor and aroma, spices and seasonings are added.

Thick soups must have the accurate consistency because if you make it too thick lumps will form. One different kind of soup that it mostly served cold is fruit soups. They are suitable for hot summer seasons where you long for quenching snack. They are not just delicious but they are also healthy.

Another very popular kind of soup is the Miso Soup. It is a traditional Japanese drink known to provide longevity and vitality. Researches in Japan even found out that 3 or more servings of this soup per day will prevent the development of breast cancer.

Different kinds of soups are all suitable for any time of the year. Soups can either be appetizers for the main course or it can even be light lunches that you fill up your tummy just about right.

You can serve them during parties, on a dinner with your family, or simply indulge by yourself. These are only some of the countless ways to prepare this mouth watering treat.

Ginseng is the most precious herb in the Chinese medicine. It has been utilized for hundreds of decades known to have improved the overall health of human being by putting a balance within your body, commonly referred to as the Yin-Yang balance.

In ancient Chinese philosophy, everything in the world is a balance between Yin (feminine and negative) and Yang (masculine and positive).

According to Chinese medicine, ginseng provides Yang energy that aids in the circulation of blood, rejuvenates, stimulates the mind and the body, and helps in recovering from weakness after a major illness.

Ginseng is classified as a slow-growing plant. They mostly grow Asia in the Northern Hemisphere (North Korea, China, and Siberia). There are two types of ginseng. The white ginseng is grown around four to six years.

It is then peeled and then sun-dried to decrease the water content in the plant by up to 12 percent. Many people think that enzymes in the root break down due to the process of drying.

Drying the ginseng under the sun causes the roots to be yellowish-white in color. The other type is the red ginseng which is not harvested until 6 years. It is not peeled or dried, thereby retaining its glossy brownish-red color. The roots are just steamed and then dried.

The combination of two of the most popular articles (soup and ginseng) is known to be one of the greatest inventions in Chinese history.

Ginseng soup is not only known as a staple hot drink during a cold winter’s day, it further nourishes your body giving you an overall mind and body enhancement.

Since ginseng plants are readily available in some parts in Asia, it is easy for them to make ginseng soup and is widely obtainable almost anywhere.

There are several ways to enjoy the magic of these therapeutic plants, and ginseng soup is only one of them. Here’s one quick recipe in making the simplest ginseng soup:

You will need around 10 grams of ginseng. Boil the roots on a low heat for one hour. Chill and then serve. Drink the ginseng soup preferably hot and on an empty stomach at least once a day.

This sweet but a little bitter drink not only warms your stomach after a long cold sleep but also revitalizes your soul.