Soups - Food for the Ages

by Sara Gray


For as long as cooking techniques have existed, soups have been eaten. Who doesn't love soup and all that it has to offer? What is this beloved food exactly? Besides being an easy meal to prepare, one can usually find on hand ingredients to add to a broth and Presto! A new variety of soup is born. A simple concoction of water, meat and vegetables, and spices cooked over and open fire or oven can make the eyes tear and the mouth water in anticipation of a this heavenly meal.

You can find soup served almost anywhere. Not only in homes, but restaurants almost always serve soup and of course your local grocery shop has it available in condensed, dehydrated, canned, and soft packaging-just-add-hot-water types

Soups are ideal for those of us that are busy and constantly on the go. It's a universal food enjoyed by young, old, rich, poor, meat eaters and the vegetarian diehard. This liquid food is eaten by cultures that span the earth and is made in a WIDE variety of ways.

Homemade soup is always the best in my opinion, but because of technology, there are other ways to "make soup."

Condensed soup became popular because of its convenience. Condensed soup comes in a can. You simply pour the contents of the can into a pot and add either milk or water, then heat and serve. Within minutes you will have a delicious meal.

Another kind of drinkable meal is available made popular by the demanding busy lives so many of us lead. Dehydrated or microwavable in format, soup is now easily sipped at a moment’s notice. The dehydrated kind simply requires the addition of steaming water and can easily be eaten on the go. The microwavable variety of soup is self-explanatory. Appropriately packaged, simply heat it in the nearest microwave and you have an instant meal.

Soups come in all forms, flavors and textures - everything from clear broths to hearty stews. While meat eaters will enjoy thick stews of beef, ham or chicken, vegetable loves can always find nourishment in a soup chock full of vitamin-rich vegetables, legumes and pastas.

Soup, a versatile food and the main staple in diets throughout the world for thousands of years is here to stay. It’ll never be a fad that dies or goes out of fashion. And although I love homemade soups the best, regardless of how you get it, make it or buy it, soup is a filling meal - and healthy too! With its endless varieties and variations, it's a food that is hard (very hard) not to like.