Caldo de papas is a hearty soup hailing from the Canary Islands. It is made with a combination of onions, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, saffron, and eggs. The soup is slowly simmered until the potatoes are fully cooked, and it is then finished by cracking a few raw eggs into the pot.
The final result is a starchy and thick soup which should, ideally, be served in warmed bowls.
Gazpacho de mango or mango gazpacho is a variety of Spanish gazpacho, a refreshing soup that’s traditionally enjoyed cold. As the name suggests, this version is based on mangoes, which are combined with other ingredients such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, jalapeño peppers or chili, onions, shallots, and garlic.
All the ingredients are peeled and diced before they’re blended with cold water and olive oil into a mixture with a smooth consistency and a silky texture. Orange juice, lime juice, or vinegar are usually added to the combination to add the necessary acidity, and the soup is typically flavored with spices and herbs such as cilantro, basil, or tarragon.
Menestra de verduras is a Spanish dish that cannot be easily classified – on the other hand, some might say that it's very versatile – it can be served as a side dish, a soup, or a stew, depending on the method of preparation. The dish itself is quite simple – filled with fresh, seasonal vegetables such as asparagus, peas, artichokes, green beans, olives, potatoes, white beans, turnip, or onions.
Pieces of Serrano ham are often added to the pot for extra flavor. Menestra de verduras is ideally served hot, preferably on colder days in spring or summer.
MOST ICONIC Menestra de verduras
View moreWarm and comforting, porrusalda is a traditional Basque soup made with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, leeks, and onions. The soup is flavored with garlic and salt, while dried salt-cod is sometimes added to porrusalda in order to enhance its flavors.
Although it is a Basque dish, the soup is more commonly consumed in other parts of Spain such as La Rioja and Castilla y León. It is recommended to garnish this hearty soup with some chopped parsley before serving.
Sopa de almendras is a traditional soup. It's made with skinned and blanched almonds, garlic, stale bread, olive oil, stock, peppercorns, saffron, cumin or cinnamon, and vinegar or lemon juice. The almonds are fried with saffron, garlic, and bread, then blended with cumin, peppercorns, vinegar, and stock.
The combination is mixed with the remaining stock and brought to a boil. After simmering for a short while, the soup is garnished with toasted almonds, chopped mint, or croutons. Sopa de almendras is traditionally served as the first course on Christmas Eve.
Olla de trigo is a traditional soup that’s especially popular in Almeria. It’s usually made with a combination of chickpeas, whole wheat, bacon, chorizo, morcilla, pimentón, hot chili peppers, fennel, and a slice of bread fried in olive oil.
The chili peppers, pimentón, and fried bread are pounded with a pestle and added to the cooked ingredients in the pot. Once prepared, this soup is served in deep plates, and some people like to add a bit of vinegar to help their digestion. Olla de trigo is popular on cold days and during winter.
A perfect remedy for a hot summer day called gazpacho is a cold soup consisting of crushed tomatoes, finely chopped cucumbers, onions, peppers, croutons, vinegar, and olive oil. With the same level of familiarity as paella to the consumers worldwide, the soup's refreshing, cool and acidic flavors promote Spanish cuisine at its best.
The dish began as a light lunch that the wives brought to their husbands in the field in order to cool them down from the hot summer sun. Shortly after, it began to be served at the end of big meals, although today it is a popular summer appetizer.
Throughout Spain, there are a number of gazpacho varieties, such as gazpacho blanco (white gazpacho) or ajo blanco, a Málaga specialty made with garlic, bread, and almonds, with a garnish of green grapes.
VARIATIONS OF Gazpacho
MOST ICONIC Gazpacho
View moreThis traditional Galician dish is hearty, inexpensive, and nourishing. Although the ingredients vary from one household to the next, this flavorful broth is most often prepared with collard greens, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, white beans, lard, and meat products such as chorizo, bacon, and ham.
The dish has humble origins and is mainly associated with Spanish farmers who lived off their own produce and served the dish in traditional earthen bowls known as cuncas. Caldo gallego is typically consumed in colder months because it is always served piping hot.
Sopa de ajo is a traditional garlic soup. It's prepared by sautéeing garlic in olive oil and Spanish smoked paprika. Stale bread and whisked or poached eggs are then added to the soup for the final touch. As for the liquids, chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even plain water will work.
The soup is served piping hot, garnished with a few croutons or fresh parsley. Traditionally, sopa de ajo is consumed in the morning on Good Friday, and it's recommended to serve it with a few slices of grilled bread on the side.
Gazpachuelo is a Spanish soup originating from Malaga. Originally, it was a poor man’s dish made by local fishermen, who would prepare it with fish, fish stock, mayonnaise, potatoes, garlic, egg yolks, and wine vinegar. Over time, they started to add shrimps and clams into the soup.
Nowadays, gazpachuelo is typically consumed in the winter, when it’s often accompanied by hard-boiled eggs and toasted bread, which should be dipped into the soup.
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