Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth. Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: ''clear soups'' and ''thick soups''. Soups are considered to be a Dinner item as well as a snack, or appetizer. The established French classifications of clear soups are ''bouillon'' and ''consommé''. Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: ''purées'' are vegetable soups thickened with starch; ''bisques'' are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with ''cream''; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and ''veloutés'' are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include rice, lentils, flour, and grains.

Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid than stews.

History

Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 6,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers (which probably came in the form of clay vessels or pouches made of animal skin) about 9,000 years ago. Soup can be made out of broth or a form of liquid.

The word ''soup'' comes from French ''soupe'' ("soup", "broth"), which comes through Vulgar Latin ''suppa'' ("bread soaked in broth") from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word "sop", a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.

The word ''restaurant'' (meaning "[something] restoring") was first used in France in the 16th century, to describe a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word ''restaurant'' to describe the shops.

In America, the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith's ''The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman's Companion'' and it included several recipes for soups and bisques. A 1772 cookbook, ''The Frugal Housewife'', contained an entire chapter on the topic. English cooking dominated early colonial cooking; but as new immigrants arrived from other countries, other national soups gained popularity. In particular, German immigrants living in Pennsylvania were famous for their potato soups. In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien, a refugee from the French Revolution, opened an eating establishment in Boston called ''The Restorator'', and became known as "The Prince of Soups". The first American cooking pamphlet dedicated to soup recipes was written in 1882 by Emma Ewing: ''Soups and Soup Making''.

Portable soup was devised in the 18th century by boiling seasoned meat until a thick, resinous syrup was left that could be dried and stored for months at a time. The Japanese miso is an example of a concentrated soup paste.

Commercial soup products

Commercial soup became popular with the invention of canning in the 19th century, and today a great variety of canned and dried soups are on the market.

Canned soup

Dr. John T. Dorrance, a chemist with the Campbell Soup Company, invented condensed soup in 1897. Today, Campbell's Tomato, Cream of Mushroom, and Chicken Noodle Soup are three of the most popular soups in America. Americans consume approximately 2.5 billion bowls of these three soups alone each year. Canned Italian-style soups, such as minestrone or Italian wedding, are also popular, and are sold by Progresso and other brands.

Canned soup can be condensed, in which case it is prepared by adding water (or sometimes milk), or it can be "ready-to-eat," meaning that no additional liquid is needed before eating. Canned soup (condensed with liquid added, or "ready-to-eat") can be prepared by heating in a pan, on the stovetop or in the microwave. Such soups can be used as a base for homemade soups, with the consumer adding anything from a few vegetables to eggs, cream or pasta.

Condensing soup allows soup to be packaged into a smaller can and sold at a lower price than other canned soups. The soup is usually doubled in volume by adding a "can full" of water or milk (about 10 ounces).

Since the 1990s, the canned soup market has burgeoned with soups marketed as "ready-to-eat," which require no additional liquid to prepare. Microwaveable bowls have expanded the ready-to-eat canned soup market even more, offering convenience (especially in workplaces) and are popular lunch items.

Dried soup

Asian-style soup mixes containing ramen noodles are marketed by Western and Asian manufacturers as an inexpensive instant meal, requiring only hot water for preparation.

In terms of Western-style cuisine, vegetable, chicken base, potato, pasta and cheese soups are also available in dry mix form, ready to be served by adding hot water and sometimes fresh ingredients such as meat or vegetables.

Nutritional developments

Salt - In response to concern over the health effects of excessive salt intake, some soup manufacturers have introduced reduced-salt versions of popular soups. Trans fat - Concern over coronary heart disease has led some soup manufacturers to eliminate trans fats from their soups.

Types of soup

Dessert soups

Ginataan, Filipino soup made from coconut milk, milk, fruits and tapioca pearls, served hot or cold

Oshiruko, a Japanese azuki bean soup

Tong sui, a collective term for Chinese sweet soups

Fruit soups

Fruit soups are served warm or cold depending on the recipe. Many recipes are for cold soups served when fruit is in season during hot weather. Some, like Norwegian ''fruktsuppe'', may be served warm and rely on dried fruit, such as raisins and prunes and so could be made in any season. Fruit soups may include milk or cream, sweet or savoury dumplings, spices, or alcoholic beverages, such as brandy or champagne. Cherry soup is made with table wine and/or port. Starch, particularly potato starch, is used to thicken fruit soups, to make ''kisel''.

Cold and warm fruit soups are common in Scandinavian, Baltic and Eastern European cuisines, while hot fruit soups with meat appear in Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Chinese cuisines. Cold fruit soups include krentjebrij.

Fruit soups are uncommon or absent in the cuisines of the Americas, Africa and Western Europe. They are also not seen in Japan, Southeast Asia or Oceania. The exception is cold fruit soups that are savory rather than (or in addition to) sweet. For example:

Winter melon soup is a Chinese soup, usually with a chicken stock base. It is a savory soup, often including other vegetables and mushrooms. Technically, the winter melon is a fruit, since it is a seed bearing body, but in practical use, it is a vegetable. Winter melon soup is often presented as a whole winter melon, filled with stock, vegetables and meat, that has been steamed for hours. The skin is decoratively cut, so that what is presented is a decorative centerpiece, smaller than a medicine ball, larger than a soccer ball, filled with soup. The flesh of the melon is scooped out with the soup.

Cold soups

Cold soups are a particular variation on the traditional soup, wherein the temperature when served is kept at or below room temperature. They may be sweet or savory. In summer, sweet cold soups can form part of a dessert tray. An example of a savory chilled soup is gazpacho, a chilled vegetable-based soup originating from Spain.

Asian soups

A feature of East Asian soups not normally found in Western cuisine is the use of tofu in soups. Many traditional East Asian soups are typically broths, ''clear soups'', or starch thickened soups.

Traditional regional soups

''Ajiaco'' is a chicken soup from Colombia.

''Avgolemono'' is a Greek chicken soup with lemon and egg.

''Bajajou'', a soup of Slovakian origin, is made with boiled beef intestines, chicken egg, onion and rice.

Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.

Bisque is a thick, creamy, highly-seasoned soup, classically of pureed crustaceans, of French origin.

Borscht is a beet-vegetable soup originally from Ukraine and Russia.

''Bouillabaisse'', a fish soup from Marseille, is also made in other Mediterranean regions; in Catalonia it is called ''bullebesa''.

''Bourou-bourou'' is a vegetable and pasta soup from the island of Corfu, Greece.

''Caldo verde'' is a Portuguese minced kale soup

Callaloo is a thick, creamy soup made with okra and, often, crab meat from Trinidad and Tobago

''Canh chua'' (sour soup) made with rice, fish, various vegetables, and in some cases pineapple is from Vietnam.

''Canja de galinha'' is a Portuguese soup of chicken, rice and lemon.

''Cazuela'' is a Chilean soup of medium thick flavoured stock obtained from cooking several kinds of meats and vegetables mixed together.

Clam chowder is found in two major types, New England clam chowder, made with potatoes and cream, and Manhattan clam chowder, made with a tomato base.

Cock-a-leekie soup is leek and potato soup made with chicken stock, from Scotland.

Cullen Skink, also from Scotland, is a fish soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, onions and cream.

Egg drop soup, a savory Chinese soup, is made by adding already-beaten eggs into boiling water or broth.

''Egusi'' soup, a traditional soup from Nigeria, is made with vegetables, meat, fish, and balls of ground melon seed. It's often eaten with fufu.

''Etrog'', a fruit soup made from the citron used in Jewish Ritual at the feast of Succoth, is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews at Tu Bishvat.

''Faki soupa'' is a Greek lentil soup, with carrots, olive oil, herbs and possibly tomato sauce or vinegar.

''Fanesca'' is a traditional cod soup from Ecuador.

''Fasolada'' is a traditional Greek bean soup.

French onion soup is a clear soup made with beef broth and sauteed (caramelized) onions.

Gazpacho (from Spain and Portugal) is a savory soup based on tomato.

Goulash is a Hungarian soup of beef, paprika and onion.

Gumbo, a traditional Creole soup from the Southern United States, is thickened with okra pods, roux and sometimes filé powder.

''Halászlé'' (fisherman's soup), a very hot and spicy Hungarian river fish soup, is made with hot paprika.

''Íslensk Kjötsúpa'' is a traditional Icelandic meat soup made with lamb and vegetables.

''Kharcho''is a Georgian soup of lamb, rice, vegetables and a highly spiced boullion.

''Lagman'', a tradition in Uzbekistan, is made with pasta, vegetables, ground lamb and numerous spices.

''Lan Sikik is a Thai soup made with noodles, dried fish and tomato extract.

Leek soup, a simple soup made from leeks, is popular in Wales during Saint David's Day.

Lentil soup is popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

London particular is a thick soup of pureed (dry or split) peas and ham from England; purportedly it is named after the thick fogs of 19th century London.

Magiritsa Soup made in Greece and Cyprus using lamb offal.

Maryland crab soup is made of vegetables, blue crab meat, and Old Bay Seasoning in a tomato base, from Maryland.

''Menudo'', a traditional Mexican soup, is with tripe (usually beef) and hominy.

Michigan bean soup has been a staple for over a hundred years in the U.S. Senate dining room.

Minestrone is an Italian vegetable soup.

Miso soup is made from fish broth and fermented soy in Japan.

Mulligatawny is an Anglo-Indian curried soup.

''Nässelsoppa'' (nettle soup), made with stinging nettles, and traditionally eaten with hard boiled egg halves, is considered a spring delicacy in Sweden.

''Nkatenkwan'' is a heavily spiced soup from Ghana based on groundnut with meat, most often chicken, and vegetables added. It's generally eaten with fufu.

Noodle soup is the common name for a diverse collection of soups with varied ingredients, including (obviously) noodles.

''Patsás'' is made with tripe in Greece.

''Peasants' Soup'' is a catch-all term for soup made by combining a diverse--and often eclectic--assortment of ingredients. Variations on peasants' soup are popular in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Africa.

Philadelphia pepper pot soup, a Philadelphia specialty, is traditionally made with tripe.

''Phở'' is Vietnamese beef/chicken soup with scallions, welsh onion, cherred ginger, wild coriander (''Eryngium foetidum''), basil, cinnamon, star anise, clove and black cardamom.

''Psarosoupa'', a Greek fish soup, is made in various versions with a variety of fish types.

''Revithia'' is a Greek chickpea soup.

''Sancocho'' is chicken soup with vegetables in Latin America.

Scotch broth is made from mutton or lamb, barley and root vegetables.

''Shchav'', a sorrel soup in Polish, Russian and Yiddish cuisines, is sour from the sorrel.

She-crab soup, from Charleston, South Carolina, is a creamy soup made with blue crab meat and crab roe.

''Sinigang'', from the Philippines, is a clear sour soup made from tamarind paste and meat, fish, or vegetables.

''Snert'' (''erwtensoep''), a thick pea soup, is eaten in the Netherlands as a winter dish, and is traditionally served with sliced sausage.

''Solyanka'' is another cabbage soup from Russia.

''Sopa da Pedra'', is a rich traditional Portuguese soup with lots of ingredients.

''Soto'', a traditional Indonesian soup made with turmeric, galangal, etc., usually contains either beef or chicken.

Split peas soup, a thick soup made in the Caribbean from split peas (chickpeas or garbanzos), usually includes "ground provision" vegetable staples and some type of meat.

''Tarator'' is a Bulgarian cold soup made from yogurt and cucumbers.

Tomato soup comes in several varieties, with tomatoes in common.

''Tom yum''is the name for two similar hot and sour soups with fragrant herbs from Laos and Thailand.

''Tarhana'' soup, from Persian cuisine is made with fermented grains and yoghurt.

" Trahanas" is a variation of the above soup using chicken and Halloumi Cheese

''Vichyssoise'', a French-style soup invented by a French chef at the Ritz Hotel in New York City, is a cold purée of potatoes, leeks, and cream.

''Waterzooi'' is a Belgian fish soup.

''Yukgaejang, a Korean spicy beef soup, also includes vegetables.

''Żurek'', a Polish sour rye soup with sausages, is often served in a bowl made of bread.

Soup as a figure of speech

In the English language, the word "soup" has developed several uses in phrase.

''Alphabet soup'', a term often used to describe a large number of acronyms used by an administration, has its roots in a common tomato-based soup containing pasta shaped in the letters of the alphabet.

''Primordial soup'' is a term used to describe the organic mixture leading to the development of life.

A ''soup kitchen'' is a place that serves prepared food of any kind to the homeless.

''Pea soup'' describes a thick or dense fog.

''"Soup legs"'' is an informal or slang term used by athletes to describe fatigue or exhaustion.

''"Stone soup"'' is a popular children's fable.

''Duck soup'' is a term to describe a task that is particularly easy.

''Word soup'' refers to any collection of words that is ostensibly incomprehensible.

''Tag soup'' further refers to poorly coded HTML.

''Soup Fire!'' can be used an expression of surprise.

'''' is French for "soup of the day." Sometimes used as a metaphor for anything currently trendy or fashionable.

Soup to nuts is an American English idiom conveying the meaning "from beginning to end" (see: full course dinner).

''"Soup's on!"'' or ''"Soup's up!"'' is a common phrase used to say, "Dinner's ready."

''Soup Sandwich'' is a denigrative U.S. military slang term, typically used to admonish a trooper for poor work or shoddy appearance. The term comes from the concept that a sandwich made out of soup would be a sloppy mess.

To ''soup something up'' is to improve it, or increase its power (most often used of cars, aeroplanes, and the like)- possibly from "supercharge".

In popular culture

The Soup Nazi is a fictional character from ''Seinfeld'' who makes fantastic soup but has very strict ordering procedures. In the horror film, ''The Exorcist'', Regan MacNeil vomits pea soup while possessed. ''Duck Soup'' is the title of a comedy film by the Marx Brothers.

See also

List of soups

References

External links

Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. ''Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food'' (2002). New York: Free Press ISBN 0-7432-2644-5

''Larousse Gastronomique'', Jennifer Harvey Lang, ed. American Edition (1988). New York: Crown Publishers ISBN 0-609-60971-8

Morton, Mark. ''Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities'' (2004). Toronto: Insomniac Press ISBN 1-894663-66-7

Category:World cuisine

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title	The Soup Nazi
series	Seinfeld
season	7
episode	6
airdate	November 2, 1995
production	706
writer	Spike Feresten
director	Andy Ackerman
guests	Larry ThomasAlexandra WentworthAna Gasteyer
episode list	List of ''Seinfeld'' episodes
season list
next	}}

"The Soup Nazi" is the title of the 116th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which was the 6th episode of the 7th season. It first aired in the United States on November 2, 1995.

The Soup Nazi is also the nickname of the titular character played by Larry Thomas. The term "Nazi" is used as an exaggeration of the excessively strict regimentation he constantly demands of his patrons.

Plot

Jerry, George and Elaine go out to a new soup stand Kramer has been raving about; its owner is referred to as the "Soup Nazi" due to his temperament and insistence on a strict manner of behavior while ordering. Jerry explains the procedure for ordering which George accepts, but Elaine rejects. En route, Elaine notices a sidewalk furniture dealer with an armoire for sale and decides to stop and buy it. However, when she returns to her building with it, the building superintendent tells her there is no moving allowed on Sundays.

When Jerry and George get to the soup stand, George follows the procedure but notices that he did not get the free bread with his soup order. Jerry tells him to let it go, but George asks for some, and is told he will have to pay $2 for it. When George objects, claiming that everybody in front of him got free bread, he is told that the price for bread is now "THREE dollars!" When George continues to protest, he quickly has his money returned and his soup is brusquely taken back, with the catchphrase "No soup for you!"

Over the past weeks, Jerry has been annoying George and Elaine with his open affection and baby talk (calling each other "Schmoopie") with his new girlfriend Sheila (Alexandra Wentworth). During another visit to the soup stand, when Sheila will not stop kissing Jerry in the line of customers, the Soup Nazi orders her out of the line, and Jerry is forced to pretend he does not know her. When George finds out, he admits his annoyance with their "baby talk" romantic behavior to Jerry. Jerry later tells Sheila he was just joking at the soup stand and makes up with her. When George finds out, he begins to act similarly with Susan to make a point. Susan misinterprets George's intentions and thinks that George is finally enjoying showing his feelings in public, continuing to act that way after Jerry again breaks up with Sheila.

Elaine, still awaiting the chance to move her new armoire upstairs, asks Kramer to guard the piece of furniture on the street overnight. When he arrives, she goes to the soup stand to get him soup. While she is gone, some "street toughs" intimidate Kramer and steal the armoire. At the soup stand, Elaine ignores everyone's prior advice and annoys the Soup Nazi with her behavior. He refuses her soup and bans her from coming to his restaurant for one year. She returns to her building to find Kramer without the armoire.

Later, Kramer, who has become friends with the Soup Nazi, tells him the story of the stolen armoire in passing. The Soup Nazi offers Kramer an antique armoire he has in storage in his basement. Kramer gives the armoire to Elaine as a replacement for her stolen one. Elaine goes to thank the Soup Nazi for the armoire, but the Soup Nazi angrily declares that he never would have given it to Kramer if he knew it was for her—instead, he would have smashed it to pieces with a hatchet. Offended, Elaine returns home, where she and Jerry subsequently discover the Soup Nazi's secret soup recipes, which have been left behind in a drawer of the old armoire. She returns to his shop, recipes in hand, and declares that she is going to destroy him and his business by exposing the recipes, gleefully revealing this in an ironically similar way he brushed her off earlier. Feeling ruined, the Soup Nazi decides to close the business and move to Argentina and starts giving away his remaining soup, which Newman and Jerry hurriedly try to take advantage of.

Production

"The Soup Nazi" was Spike Feresten's first credited ''Seinfeld'' episode as a writer. The idea for the episode arose when Feresten told Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David about New York soup vendor Al Yeganeh, who was nicknamed "The Soup Nazi." Seinfeld and David laughed and said "That's a show. Do that as your first show." Feresten's inspiration for the armoire subplot was a New York apartment building in which he had lived, which forbade moving furniture on certain days. The armoire thieves were written as homosexual because Larry David decided that "only gay guys would steal an armoire." The first cast table reading for "The Soup Nazi" was held on September 28, 1995, and it was filmed before a studio audience on October 3. In the episode, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) imitates Al Pacino in ''Scent of a Woman''. This was done at Jerry Seinfeld's suggestion, even though Louis-Dreyfus had never seen the film.

The character

The Soup Nazi was portrayed by Larry Thomas, who was nominated for a 1996 Emmy for the role. Thomas, who did not realize that the character was based on a real person, received the inspiration for his portrayal from watching ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and studying Omar Sharif's accent.

A stone-faced immigrant chef with a thick Stalin-esque moustache, he is renowned throughout Manhattan for his soups. He demands that all customers in his restaurant meticulously follow his strict queuing, ordering, and payment policies. Failure to adhere to his demands brings the stern admonition ("No soup for you!") whereupon the customer is refunded and denied his or her order. He will then yell at the top of his lungs to the next person in line, "Next!" Elaine parodies this when she reveals that she has his recipes. She says to him, "You're through, Soup Nazi. Pack it up. No more soup for you. NEXT!"

The Soup Nazi has a cameo in the ''Seinfeld'' series finale, in which his name is revealed to be Yev Kassem. He also reacts as he always does when Elaine insults his soup at the court.

Inspiration

The character was inspired by Al Yeganeh, a New York City soup vendor who runs Soup Kitchen International in midtown Manhattan at 259A West 55th Street, near 8th Avenue, and The Original Soup Man chain of restaurants throughout the United States.

According to an Associated Press article published April 29, 2005, Yeganeh planned to open a chain of soup stores called The Original Soup Man. The first franchise opened in Princeton, New Jersey, on October 24, 2005. His company, Soup Kitchen International, plans to open 1,000 outlets nationwide. Soup Kitchen International's original West 55th Street location was closed for many years but re-opened July 20, 2010. Al was not at the location on opening day.

Before the episode was written, much of the cast of ''Seinfeld'' (including Wayne Knight) had been to Soup Kitchen International. After "The Soup Nazi" had aired, Seinfeld and several writers went to Yeganeh's soup stand for lunch. Upon recognizing Seinfeld, Yeganeh launched into a profanity-laced rant about how "The Soup Nazi" episode had "ruined his life," and he demanded an apology. Seinfeld gave what show writer Spike Feresten described as "the most sarcastic, insincere apology" he'd ever heard. Yeganeh bellowed "No soup for you!" and ejected Seinfeld and his friends from the restaurant.

According to Nora Ephron's DVD commentary, the first pop culture reference to Yeganeh (though not by name) seems to have come years before the ''Seinfeld'' episode, in the 1993 movie ''Sleepless in Seattle''. In the film, a magazine writer discusses writing a story: "This man sells the greatest soup you have ever eaten, and he is the meanest man in America. I feel very strongly about this, Becky; it's not just about the soup."

Cosmo Kramer's inspiration, Kenny Kramer, mentions on his own website that he agrees that Yeganeh's nickname is unfair. He jokingly suggests his nickname be changed to "Al, The Soup Rat Bastard."

References

External links

Soup Nazi Fan Site

Seinfeld - Official Site

Larry Thomas, ''Seinfeld'' actor, audio interview at MrMedia.com

Soup Nazi, The Soup Nazi, The Category:Comparisons to Nazism and the Holocaust Category:1995 television episodes

fr:Le Nazi de la soupe