From the ancient times in a diet of a human civilization consist soups. Liquid food representing broth from meat, fish, mushrooms, vegetables, groats, etc with seasonings. These broths contains the flavouring substances promoting secretion. The bay leaf, fragrant pepper, greens of onions and parsley give soups the aroma, strengthening secretion of digestive glands.

The general rule of soup cooking, consists that it is not necessary to subject products to excessive thermal processing, their food value decreases, taste and appearance worsens, aroma is lost. Vegetables should be added only in a boiling liquid: in this case vitamin C collapses less.

It is necessary to prepare soup, so that this dish each time, gave a charge of energy, health and celebratory mood. Not casually in the East, soup submitted in a porcelain bowl, and in Europe - in tureen - an oval porcelain pan with a cover. In such ware hot soup can be put directly on a table. And if soup is welded with high degree of ability, it can become an ornament of a table and on the flavouring qualities really to become "the first dish".

The parity of water and other products in soups should be precisely balanced. Thus during cooking it is impossible neither to cast, nor to add a liquid - both that and another considerably worsens taste. At soup cooking it is impossible to give it to overboil, soup should be tried more often, in time rectifying mistakes and watching a consistence of meat, fish, vegetables etc.

Soups should be cooked on low heat, so that aromatic substances containing in vegetables did not disappear together with steam. Add vegetables 20-30 minutes prior to readiness of soup. The bay leaf and pepper add almost before the end of cooking. Canned fish in own juice or in a tomato, adds to soup 10-15 minutes prior to the end of cooking.

It is possible to prepare vegetable soups on meat, bone or mushroom broths, and also on water. Soup should be cooked in small amounts, for one day. At long storage, flavouring and nutritious qualities of soup worsen.

Potato soups can be prepared without adding any other ingredients, or with addition of groats, bean and pasta, but it is obligatory with carrots, onions and a parsley root. Also it is possible to prepare potato soups on meat, bone, fish, mushroom broths and on water.

Quality of soup can be improved, by adding in it fresh oil, egg yolks, sour cream, greens, fresh ground black pepper, etc. Vegetable soups should be spiced very slightly or absolutely not spiced as these soups are flavoured enough by vegetables.

In any case, every housewife is preparing soup to own taste. There are a lot of methods of soup cooking in the world and much more soup recipes and various product combinations for it, because every person who loves and respects that liquid dish, prepares it by own way.