Soup-er Sunday: Soup Vocabulary

I didn't really feel like making soup today, given our very warm October temperatures. We had the windows open, the thermostat said 70 degrees (almost turned the air on), and even though all of the ingredients for a lovely Cauliflower Soup had been purchased, I just didn't feel like gettin' to it. I mostly wanted to sit on it.

So I pondered the difference between some soup titles. What would be the difference between Cauliflower Bisque or Cream of Cauliflower or Cauliflower Chowder? I know when I see "bisque" or "chowder" in the title of the soup that I will be served a thick, creamy (heavy...calorie-filled...high fat...) soup. I also am already mildly familiar with "consomme" -- something to do with broth. So exciting.

Instead of grading papers, cleaning the house, taking a shower, or doing one of a million other things on my to-do list, I am here, telling you about soup vocabulary. I have problems!

Here are some of my findings:

BISQUE
Bisque, the food--not to be confused with bisque, the color--is a thick, creamy soup made from pureed seafood or vegetables. My hypothesis would be that it's the act of puree-ing that makes a bisque differ from a "cream of whatever" soup. If you're a history buff, or maybe planning to be a Jeopardy contestant someday, you can check out how the history of how bisque got it's name here. In 2006 my husband and I road-tripped through New England all the way to Maine. There, in Bar Harbor waiting for our whale-watching tour, we ate the best Lobster Bisque on the face of the planet. We still talk about it. Too bad I can't remember the name of the restaurant.

CREAM OF...
The Wikipedia definition says "Flavored broth thickened with a white sauce." Hmm. While I totally understand it, I really thought there would have been more mention of cream. To make a white sauce, you use milk or cream, so perhaps it would be redundant. For me, adding more cream is never redundant--it's intelligent.

CONSOMME

In the wise words of Wikipedia, "a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock or bouillon that has been clarified usually through a fining process involving egg protein. It usually requires an advanced knowledge of cooking and past experience to create a high quality consommé." Seriously? You lost me at "fining process involving egg protein." Clearly I will not be using any such process. Attempting to make a "high quality consomme" is not on my bucket list. Give me Penzey's Chicken Soup Base, I give you broth. Period.

CHOWDER

Chowders are thick soups that traditionally contain potatoes, milk and cream. Most popular might be the seafood variety -- think New England Clam Chowder. Also pretty popular might be Corn Chowder. My definition of "chowder" would be "put on a red-checkered-bib and chow on this big ol' bowl of thick soup." Get it? Chow? Never mind.

And so ends today's Soup Vocabulary 101. Any questions?

I have one: Got Soup?