Cold Soup: History, Subtleties, Recipes

2023 Author: Amber Richards | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 00:24

What is cold soup

Not every soup can be cold. With such a slightly contradictory statement, perhaps it is worth starting this material. Having put kharcho in the refrigerator, you should not expect miraculous transformations from it in the morning - when cold, it will not be the attractive dish that it can be if you warm it up for a couple of minutes on the fire. The most important feature of cold soups is that their taste is revealed precisely after the cooling process. That is, when hot they will not be as pleasant for your taste buds as after a night at +6. It should be borne in mind that cooking itself may include, among other things, "hot" processes, such as frying, boiling and baking.

Turning to the experience of chefs, here are three main classifications of soups. They are distinguished according to the following parameters: according to the method of preparation (filling, puree …), according to the liquid base (in meat or vegetable broth, milk …) and according to the serving temperature. The latter interests us most of all. In cooking, cold soups can be called those soups whose temperature on the plate does not exceed + 14 ° C and at the same time such a temperature is the norm for this dish (that is, ice tom-yam is the cook's mistake, and not his creative move).

Although the serving temperature of cold soups is quite low, it is extremely important to maintain the temperature balance. Excessive chilling will cause the dish to lose its flavor. Forget about freezing such soups, as you risk getting on your plate not a fragrant refreshing thick, but a frozen gruel.

Another point to consider: when preparing cold soups, plant products are often used that have not been cooked. Therefore, thorough cleaning and rinsing with boiled water of vegetables, fruits, berries is of particular importance.

With regards to serving cold soups. As we have already said, the serving temperature should not exceed 14 ° C. The optimum temperature is 10 ° C. Strong fluctuations in one direction or another already impair the taste of the soup. You can check the temperature with food thermometers, which today can be bought either in grocery hypermarkets or in specialized stores with household goods.

Cold soups are often served with ice cubes. They can be either already on the plate (they need to be put exactly at the time of serving on the table), or served in a separate outlet, so that a person can decide for himself whether he needs to cool the dish even more or not.

Traditionally, for such purposes, ice is prepared from pure drinking water (in no case running), sometimes with the addition of herbs or spices, if we are talking about unsweetened soups. If you serve ice cubes with fruit or berry options, then it is appropriate to make ice from non-concentrated juices that will not argue with the main set of tastes, or by adding whole berries, pieces of fruit, zest to the ice.

5 popular national varieties of cold soup

Each country has its own gastronomic characteristics, shaped by the way of life, traditions and history of the state. Today we will look at which cold soups are preferred by certain countries, and tell you how to repeat them in your kitchen.

Russia - okroshka

The traditional dish of the national Russian cuisine appeared at the end of the 18th century. Okroshka is a mixture of finely chopped meat, fish and vegetable ingredients, filled with special white kvass, and seasoned with fatty sour cream. The soup was originally invented for the beneficial use of meat and fish leftovers from other dishes. It should be noted that for the preparation of this cold soup, not the usual sweet kvass, which is customary to drink in the summer heat, is used, but a special one, the so-called white. Today you can also find options for okroshka with a base of kefir or even vegetable juices.

How to cook okroshka:

Ingredients: 500 g of boiled beef, 2 potatoes, 2 eggs, 4 lightly salted cucumbers, 10 radishes, 100 g of green onions, 1 bunch of dill, 0.5 bunch of parsley, 2 tsp. horseradish, 1 liter of unsweetened kvass, salt, sour cream

Boil the potatoes in their skins. Cool, peel and cut into cubes. Chop the greens. Place potatoes and herbs in a bowl, add salt and mix thoroughly. Boil hard-boiled eggs, peel, cut into cubes. Cut lightly salted cucumbers into cubes. Grate radish on a fine grater. Cut the meat into thin strips. Add eggs, cucumbers, radishes and meat to a bowl of potatoes. Mix. Mix kvass with horseradish, pour into a bowl with meat mixture, serve with sour cream.

Spain - gazpacho

Gazpacho is the most famous of Spain's soups in the world. Although in the country itself, in terms of popularity, it is on a par with other cold soups, such as salmorejo and ahoblanco. By the way, the first is very similar to gazpacho in its ingredients. It also uses tomatoes as a base. It is interesting that in the beginning, as well as for okroshka, the remains of what was at home were used to prepare gazpacho. The main ingredients of this Andalusian soup are tomatoes, cucumber, garlic and olive oil. Everything else is already variations that are characteristic of different regions of Spain.

How to make gazpacho:

Ingredients: 400 g of tomatoes, 300 g of cucumbers, 100 g of onions, 300 g of red bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, 2 tbsp. l. fresh tarragon, 600 ml tomato juice, 50 ml red wine vinegar, half a lemon, pepper, salt

Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions finely. Punch the vegetables in a blender with garlic, tomato paste, olive oil and finely chopped herbs. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, add tomato juice, vinegar and juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Let it brew for 3 hours under the lid. Before serving, beat the soup in a blender again and garnish with herbs or finely chopped vegetables.

Belarus - chill

Fridge in one form or another can be found in many national cuisines of Eastern European countries. Traditionally, this soup based on kefir with the addition of pickled beets and fresh vegetables is referred to the Belarusian cuisine, although it can also be found in the Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish national menus. In Russia, you can also find your own version of the chiller, we call it beetroot and is prepared according to the same principle, but without adding kefir. The basis here is beet broth, beet kvass or even mineral water. Returning to the refrigerator, its main and only indisputable rule is the absence of meat ingredients.

How to make a fridge:

Ingredients: 2 medium beets, 3 fresh cucumbers, 4-5 eggs, 1 bunch of dill, 1 bunch of green onions, 1 liter of kefir, sour cream, salt, pepper

Boil the beets, peel, grate on a coarse grater. Grate cucumbers on a coarse grater. Hard boil the eggs, peel and cut into small cubes. Finely chop the greens. Put beets, cucumbers, eggs, onions and dill in a saucepan. Add kefir and stir. You can add cold boiled water to dilute the consistency of the soup.

Hungary - cherry soup

A traditional Hungarian dessert, cherry soup, is made from half-ripe red berries and sour cream. It is served, of course, cold. In this case, sour berries are often used, which are simply impossible to eat. Interestingly, the soup is made from whole cherries, together with seeds, as the latter give the soup a special taste. It is sometimes served with ice cream, garnished with fresh sweet berries or mint leaves. Some recipes contain sugar as an ingredient.

How to make cherry soup:

Ingredients: 2 cups sour cherries, 1⁄2 tsp. salt, 1 cinnamon stick, a couple of lemon slices, 300 g sour cream

Put the cherries in a saucepan, season with salt, add a cinnamon stick, lemon slices. Add some water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. In a small bowl, beat the sour cream and 1⁄4 cup of hot cherry liquid from the saucepan. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir the sour cream mixture into the soup. Refrigerate before serving.

Korea - nengmyeon

Korean traditional soup with kuksu noodle base, drenched in cold water, soy sauce and mustard. It can also be with the addition of vegetables, meat and in some cases fish. The meat option is mainly beef. Vegetable nengmyeon is seasoned with gochujang soybean paste. Why it has a reddish color. There are several other traditional, but not very common, variations of this Korean dish with raw fish and sauerkraut radish. The latter will be especially appreciated by lovers of unusual flavor combinations.

How to cook naengmyeon:

Ingredients: 150 g beef, 150 g chicken, 150 g pork, 750 g buckwheat noodles, 200 g kimchi, 1 egg, ½ Chinese pear, bunch of green onions, 3 cloves of garlic, a piece of horseradish root, hot chilli pepper, 1 tsp … vinegar, 1 tsp. soy sauce, sesame seeds, salt, pepper

Boil the meat, cut into thin strips. Season the broth with all the spices listed. Cut the pear into thin strips. Beat the egg, fry it in a pan and cut into strips. Boil buckwheat noodles, rinse with water and arrange on plates. Place each of the ingredients on top. Pour cold broth over. Add vinegar and mustard.

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