From pho, borscht and mulligatawny to matzo ball, minestrone and avgolemono, there’s a soup tied to many cultures. These recipes are typically based upon the country’s available ingredients, geography and climate.

For example, beets are the main ingredient in borscht, a popular Eastern European soup. Beets are plentiful in places like Ukraine since the colder weather is conducive to growing the vegetable.

Here in the United States, many regions have a soup attached to them. Think gumbo (New Orleans), clam chowder (New England), Manhattan clam chowder (New York City) and pepper pot (Philadelphia).

The versatility, ease of preparation and the fact that it’s comfort in a bowl make soup a favorite, especially as we enter the colder months.

Did you know that in 1984, Campbell Soup Co. (you know, those iconic red and white cans) designated January as National Soup Month.

Making soup is an ideal way to use up leftovers such as vegetables, pasta, fresh herbs and proteins. Home cooks usually have a few soups in their repertoire, quite often ones that mom or grandma handed down, that bring back warm memories of days gone by.

For me it’s my grandmother’s trifecta of matzo ball, mushroom and barley and split pea. To this day, they are in my repertoire; her borscht, well, it’s not.

For those with little time on their hands, soup is the perfect meal served along with a freshly baked loaf of bread.

As the seasons change, soup ingredients and variety follow suit. Soups become lighter and are served cold or warm, with seasonal vegetables, etc.

Perfect for a hot summer day are gazpacho, icy watermelon soup or vichyssoise.

Soup is most often thought of as an appetizer or entrée. Most don’t think of it as a dessert. The cookbook featured below has two dozen soups to serve as a sweet ending to a meal. Strawberry soup with crème anglaise swirl or a spin on traditional peach melba (peach melba soup) with raspberry swirl and almond biscotti are two on my list to prepare when warmer weather arrives.

The Specialty Food Association said, “Unlike TikTok food trends, soup has staying power, and never really goes out of style.”

For me, soup cookbooks, don’t go out of style.

A recent addition to my collection is “300 Sensational Soups” by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds (2024, Robert Rose Inc., $24.95)

The title begins with stocks, the base of most soups.

The authors’ write: “In a perfect world, everyone would make soup with homemade stock. Stock made from scratch, with quality ingredients, can elevate a soup from simple to sublime. And the good news is, stocks are much easier to make than most home cooks think.”

When time is of the essence, it is suggested to purchase quality stocks and broth. Recipes for a variety of stocks are provided. From there, the chapters include vegetable, bean, cheese, meat lover, chicken and turkey, fish, chowders and chilled and dessert soups.

For those who enjoy exploring a world of soups, you’re covered with 50 soup recipes from around the world.

The all-encompassing book’s last chapter is called “Gilding the Lily: Toppings and garnishes.” Here you’ll find recipes for fried sage leaves, bacon croutons and fluffy dumpling batter among many others.

The authors said they think almost every soup benefits from a garnish. Each recipe has an interesting headnote and helpful tips. Some recipes provide a variation using a swap out ingredient.

Soup is one dish that can easily be reinvented. Take a recipe and experiment with different flavors and textures. It is easy to make a recipe gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan.

The authors said: “Soup is not just another meal — it’s comfort in a bowl, love on a spoon, satisfaction simmering on the stove. And all this goodness comes together so easily.”

So, get out that big soup pot and start out with these recipes from the book.

For the recipe for Arugula Soup With Salmon and Roasted Grape Tomatoes, visit bit.ly/40bEnB1.

And remember this quote from Marge Kennedy: “Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor.”

The headnote says: “Roasting the peppers gives this lovely golden soup a vibrant flavor. The green Cilantro Cream on top makes it as pretty as a picture.”

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 roasted yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped

5 cups chicken stock

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cilantro Cream (recipe follows)

Directions:

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper; sauté until shallots are softened, about 6 minutes. Add yellow peppers and stock; cover and simmer until peppers are very soft, 12 to 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, or in a food processor or blender in batches, purée soup until smooth, thinning with a little more stock, if necessary. Return to the pot, if necessary, and add lemon juice to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Ladle into heated bowls and top each with a dollop of cilantro cream.

Tip: If not using homemade chicken stock, be sure to purchase a low-sodium brand.

Cilantro Cream

Makes about 1 ¼ cups, enough to garnish 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 cup packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Pinch of salt

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine jalapeno, cilantro, sour cream, lime juice and salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

The headnote says: “Thai red curry paste, which you can find in the Asian section of most grocery stores, is one of our favorite add-ins when we want to kick up the flavor in a soup. Here, we’ve used it to lend a punch to this rich and creamy coconut milk—based soup. Mushrooms and shrimp make it a meal, but it’s the wonderful balance of spicy, sweet and a little sour that keeps us coming back for more.”

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 ½ teaspoons Thai red curry paste

2 cans (each 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Whole fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

In a large pot, bring stock, sugar, fish sauce and curry paste to a boil over medium heat; boil for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and return to a boil. Add mushrooms, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer until pink and opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice.

Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with whole cilantro leaves.

Tip: To clean mushrooms, you can either rinse them quickly in water or wipe them with a damp paper towel. Mushrooms will be much happier in your refrigerator if you store them in a paper bag.

The headnote says: “Succotash is a favorite late-summer side dish. In this creamy soup, we’ve made it a meal by adding hearty kielbasa sausage.”

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into thin half-moons

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups frozen baby lima beans, thawed

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 can (14 ounces) cream-style corn

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen white corn kernels, thawed if frozen

½ cup whipping cream

Fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausage, leeks, garlic and red pepper; sauté until vegetables are softened and sausage is browned, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and thyme; sauté for 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in stock. Add lima beans, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lima beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Add cream-style corn and corn kernels; simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Reheat until steaming, stirring often. Do not let boil.

Ladle into heated bowls and garnish each with a few thyme leaves.

Tip: To trim leeks, cut off and discard the root end and the dark green tops (or save the tops for stock). Cut leeks lengthwise and wash under running water to remove any grit or dirt. Then cut as directed in the recipe.

Stephen Fries is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 17 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, and three-day culinary adventures around the U.S. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at stephenfries.com">Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.