Fall is Soup Season
“Soup is witchcraft. We put plants, spices, and dead animals into a cauldron and follow instructions from a book written by old people."There is no lie detected from this quote from Soul_Care Yoga on Instagram, which also inspired this month’s column. You may disagree with the witchcraft part of Soul Care’s statement. However, there’s something deeply satisfying and nourishing about soup that can’t be denied.
Why Soup Is Good For You
Soup is good for you for several reasons, according to Bethany Thayer, MS, RDN, writing for Henry Ford Health, a leading healthcare provider in southwest Detroit. For example, soups containing veggies can help meet your daily allowance, especially seasonal specialties like pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips.They boost your immune system. We often reach for chicken broth when we feel a cold or flu coming on. Hot soup is also good for a sore throat. Yet, as Thayer says, “Most soups are loaded with disease-fighting nutrients. Studies show that chicken soup, in particular, can help prevent the common cold, especially if you load it up with fresh garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. In addition, these ingredients are loaded with immune-boosting chemicals."Soup keeps you hydrated while staying food, Thayer says. In the winter, we often drink less than we need. As a result, we lose fluid through daily activities, though we’re not sweating as much as in warmer months.
The Ultimate Comfort Food
They are easy to prepare, especially if you have an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker. You can prepare a savory soup, Thayer says, in five minutes while letting the cooker do the rest of the work. As the cost of basic expenses, including food, increases, you can put more liquid and vegetables in your soup and smaller bits of more expensive ingredients like chicken, fish, beef, and spices. Thayer also recommends serving soup with whole-grain bread or a small salad on the side if it’s helpful for your diet.In addition, if you have read between the lines of my last few columns, you might have noticed I’ve been facing a tough time in the past six weeks. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one. My friends are facing death, heartbreak, financial downturns, and increasingly caring for elderly parents while raising active school-aged children. As a result, we have all been turning to soup to calm our frayed nerves.
A Few of My Favorites
Below are three of my favorite soups. I hope they nurture and nourish you as you face difficult times or if you want to enjoy the season’s bounty.
Chicken Noodle Soup: I have described most of its nutritional and economic benefits above. However, according to the blog Food and Road, there are forms of broth, noodles, and nearly some kind of meat soup found in nearly every region of the world. For example, Laksa served in Malaysia and Singapore has numerous variations. But it’s generally based on a broth with spicy curry, ginger, and coconut. Then, add shrimp, chicken, tofu, and traditional Asian noodles.
Pho -- Pho is phenomenal. This Vietnamese soup is a symbol of its gastronomy’s richness, flavors, and textures. Pho is made with rice noodles and sliced beef cooked in a broth steaming with coriander, ginger, and cardamom. Like mole sauce in Mexico, Pho is a complex dish despite its appearance of simplicity. Pho broth takes more than 12 hours to prepare in the original recipe.
Photo courtesy of Cocina Facil
Sopa de Lima – Most North Americans immediately think of Tortilla when imagining Mexican soup. However, Sopa de Lima is my favorite. Essentially, it’s a Yucatecan twist on tortilla soup. It’s made with seasoned poultry broth and served with shredded chicken or turkey and fried corn tortilla strips, which add texture and flavor. A combination of spices, including coriander, lime, and grapefruit, provides the acidity and bitterness of the soup, according to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a consultant for the Serious Eats blog. He also recommends that “starting the chicken in cold broth makes for more even cooking and juicier meat.”For more soup recipes and tips, check out our website. I also sourced Henry Ford Health, Food n Road, and Serious Eats to write this column.