Soup brings back childhood memories of the family gathered around the table on a cold winter's evening. We always had freshly baked bread with our soups. My mother was the gourmet of soup to us children. To this day a hot bowl of soup always evokes wonderful, happy memories. Soup is the warmth of a kitchen, sharing news with a friend and therapy all rolled up together. As I felt when I was a child, so I feel now that a good soup needs to be shared.

History of Soup
The word soup comes from the Latin term which means soaking. The history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking. When making soup, you combine various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, easily digested, simple to make-and-serve food. Soup is suited to all cultures, the rich and poor, healthy people and the ailing. Soups (and stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, etc.) have evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. - New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian minestrone, French onion, and Chinese won ton.

Try the soups from different parts of the world. I have gathered soup recipes wherever I have lived. Butter Bean Soup from Australia, Squash Soup from America, Mushroom Soup from Germany, Curried Pumpkin Soup from the Middle East, Tom Yum Soup from Thailand and Minestrone Soup from Italy. These are our contributions this week, but don't stop here, allow yourself to be adventurous and try a good chicken soup prevalent in the Jewish cuisine; or a gumbo with okra, chicken or seafood commonly served in Louisiana; dhals served with curry dishes in India or a good miso common in Japan.

Goulash is very popular in Germany and Hungary, whereas borscht is popular in Russia. You can then try a gazpacho or a Scotch broth made of mutton and barley soup.

A good Stock
An important base for a good soup is the stock. It's alright to use stock cubes, but for the best-flavored soups, it's best to make your own. Use fresh vegetable trimmings or frozen peelings - you can accumulate these in freezer bags and use them as needed. You can also prepare your stock and freeze it in containers for later use.

Dried or fresh mushrooms, carrots, celery, pumpkins, corn cobs, meat bones, inexpensive cuts of meats or unused ingredients (such as chicken carcasses, wing tips, gizzard and even chicken feet; or shells from shellfish for fish stock) make excellent bases for stock.

Next, it is important to use herbs and spices in your stock. You may want to experiment with these, but we suggest that you use bay leaves, as these are essential in creating a background flavor. To flavor the stock further, use herbs such as parsley and thyme to give depth. If you want the exotic flavors of Asia, you can try a stock made from miso paste, seaweed, fresh ginger, lemon grass and coriander. A lot of Asian soups use MSG (monosodium glutamate, but use this with caution, as some people have reactions to the flavor enhancer).

Vegetables to avoid in your stock
Some vegetables add a strong flavor to stock. These are the cabbages, including broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Other strong flavored vegetables which you might want to avoid are spinach, artichokes and asparagus, as these can leave a bitter taste. Avoid strong colored ingredients such as beetroot, turmeric, saffron and soy sauce. These can be added to the soup later when the stock has been cooked and strained.

For a gourmet taste or flavor in your stock, sauté or roast the vegetables or meat before you use it. Then put the ingredients in cold water (approximately half water to half solids), bring to a boil and then simmer. Meat stock can take from 1 to 3 hours, whereas vegetable stocks only need about 30 minutes. Always skim off the white foam that appears on the surface of the stock. When the stock is ready, strain it before continuing to make your soup. Once you have made stock, you will discover that it really is quite easy.

Thickening soups
If you like thickened soup, simply puree a central ingredient in in your soup. Root vegetables, tomatoes, beans or lentils are great for thickening soups. You can also use cornflour, arrowroot, rice, tapioca, semolina, cornmeal, or bulgur wheat. Egg yolks, milk, cream, yogurt, crème fraîche or béchamel sauce are also suitable. The French like to make a little roux - softened butter mixed with all-purpose flour. Use a ratio of about 2 tablespoons of butter to 1 tablespoon of flour. To avoid lumps or curdling, add your chosen ingredient first to a ladleful of soup in a bowl, amalgamate well, and then pour the mixture back into the soup pot.

Garnishes and accompaniments
You can use croutons, chopped fresh herbs or a swirl of cream, or you can decorate soup with finely diced or shredded vegetables, deep-fried wafer-thin vegetable slices, deep-fried herbs, toasted nuts and seeds, cooked quail's egg, or a spoonful of caviar. One of my favorites is to chop up fresh parsley, oregano or chives, place them in the bottom of the soup bowl and spoon the hot soup over the herbs.

A nice accompaniment to your soup creations is crusty breads or foccacia, or serve with fritters, savory biscuits or muffins. You can also, just simply garnish the soup with croûtons on top. Soups can be served as a starter, accompanied with your main meal (as in parts of Asia) or become the main meal. Whatever you decide, be brave and experiment.

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