20 of the world’s best soups

For many, a warm bowl of soup represents the ultimate comfort food, and they are not alone. According to Janet Clarkson, author of “Soup: A Global History,” soup is one of the oldest and most universal foods worldwide.

Clarkson notes that soup is present in every culture and has ancient origins. Early humans simmered food in various vessels, from turtle shells to bamboo. Metal soup pots appeared during the Bronze Age. Boiling food allowed people to consume stable grains, with herbs and other ingredients added for nutrition and medicinal purposes.

Clarkson points out that delivering soup to someone who is sick continues an age-old tradition. Ancient people did not separate food and medicine. Historically, many countries viewed certain soups as restorative.

Today, soup tends to be brothy, while stews are heartier. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. spoonable foods do not always fit neatly into these two categories. Clarkson defines soup broadly as "stuff cooked in water, with the flavored water becoming a crucial part of the dish."

This definition encompasses the world’s diverse culinary traditions. CNN Travel presents 20 of the best soups from around the world:

• Banga | Nigeria:** This soup from the Niger Delta uses oil palm fruits for fat and flavor. It also contains fresh catfish, beef, and dried seafood. Ready-mixed banga spice packets are available in stores, typically including African nutmeg, castor seed, orima, jansa, and beletete leaves. These spices create a rich, red sauce that is the soup's main attraction, best enjoyed with eba or a ball of starch made from cassava.
• Beef pho (phở bò) | Vietnam:** Aromatic broth simmers for hours with cinnamon, star anise, and other warm spices to form the base of this rice noodle soup. Pho is a well-known Vietnamese culinary export, but Andrea Nguyen, author of “The Pho Cookbook,” notes that it is relatively new. Beef pho, which includes options like raw beef, cooked beef, brisket, and tendon, remains the most popular version in Vietnam.
• Borscht | Ukraine:** This soup features tender beets in a vibrant red broth and is popular in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Often topped with sour cream, borscht gains tang from kvass, a lacto-fermented beet juice. While some attribute borscht to Russian cuisine, this claim is disputed. In 2022, UNESCO recognized Ukrainian borscht as uniting people and placed it on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
• Bouillabaisse | France:** This fisherman’s stew has become a culinary icon, embodying classic Mediterranean flavors and is synonymous with Marseille. Saffron, olive oil, fennel, garlic, and tomatoes combine with fresh fish. The 1980 Bouillabaisse Charter specifies that an authentic recipe must include at least four kinds of seafood from a list including monkfish and crab.
• Caldo verde | Portugal:** This soup from Portugal’s Minho region combines thinly sliced greens with potatoes and onions. Often featuring Portuguese chouriço sausage for a smoky flavor, it is enjoyed with vinho verde wine.
• Chorba frik | Algeria, Libya and Tunisia:** Freekeh, or green durum wheat, adds substance to this North African soup, popular during Ramadan. The grains absorb a tomato broth and spices, blending with chickpeas and stewed chicken, beef, mutton, or lamb. It is served with lemon wedges and kesra bread.
• Chupe de camarones | Peru:** This creamy shrimp chowder, a specialty of Arequipa, contains shrimp, Andean potatoes, and corn. Ají amarillo peppers add spice, balancing the rich ingredients. It is sometimes considered an aphrodisiac.
• Gazpacho | Spain:** This chilled vegetable soup, ideal for hot Andalusian summers, contains tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and olive oil, thickened with stale breadcrumbs. Originally, Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula made it with bread, garlic, and olive oil before tomatoes were introduced.
• Groundnut soup | West Africa:** This peanut soup, found across West Africa, features meat, fish, or chicken. Versions include Gambian domoda and a Nigerian variation with bitter greens. Scotch bonnet peppers often add heat.
• Gumbo | United States:** This Louisiana soup blends West African, Native Choctaw, and French influences. Popular versions include seafood, chicken, and sausage. Filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) and roux or okra are used as thickeners. The World Champion Gumbo Cookoff takes place annually in New Iberia, Louisiana.
• Harira | Morocco:** This chickpea stew is often eaten to break the Ramadan fast. Cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and pepper add spice to the tomato broth. Lamb is often added. Some North African Jews also eat harira to break the Yom Kippur fast.
• Kharcho | Georgia:** This traditional soup uses tkemali, a tart plum sauce, to balance fatty beef and ground walnuts. Khmeli suneli, a spice mix, adds aroma.
• Lanzhou beef noodle soup | China:** This soup features hand-pulled la mian noodles. It includes tender beef, radish, chili oil, and herbs. Customers can request specific noodle thickness and shape.
• Mohinga | Myanmar:** This noodle soup is a common breakfast. The broth is simmered with herbs and thickened with toasted rice powder. Fish adds richness. It is available throughout the day, with regional variations.
• Menudo | Mexico:** This tripe soup is considered a hangover cure and is served at celebrations. It contains hominy and is garnished with onions, chiles, and cilantro. Menudo rojo contains chiles, while Menudo blanco is milder.
• Moqueca de camarão | Brazil:** This Bahian specialty features shrimp in a coconut broth tinted with palm oil and tomatoes. It is traditionally cooked and served in a black clay pot.
• Soto ayam | Indonesia:** This chicken noodle soup includes turmeric, star anise, cinnamon, lemongrass, and lime leaves. It is also popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and Suriname. It is topped with fried shallots, limes, and chiles.
• Tom yum goong | Thailand:** This soup balances sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors. It contains galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, and bird’s eye chilis, along with prawns.
• Tonkotsu ramen | Japan:** This ramen features a rich broth made from long-simmered pork bones. It is a specialty of Fukuoka Prefecture. It includes pork belly and hard noodles. Slurping is believed to enhance the flavor.
• Yayla çorbasi | Turkey:** This creamy yogurt soup contains rice or barley. It is believed to ward off colds and is sometimes served in hospitals. Dried mint balances the yogurt's tang. It is served with pita bread.