Soup
<p ><b>Soup</b> is a generally warm <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food" title="Food" >food</a> that is made by combining ingredients such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat" title="Meat" >meat</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable" title="Vegetable" >vegetables</a> with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_(food)" title="Stock (food)" >stock</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice" title="Juice" >juice</a>, water, or another <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid" title="Liquid" >liquid</a>. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broth" title="Broth" >broth</a>.
Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: <i>clear soups</i> and <i>thick soups</i>. The established <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France" >French</a> classifications of clear soups are <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillon(broth)" title="Bouillon (broth)" >bouillon</a></i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consomm%C3%A9" title="Consommé" >consommé</a></i>. Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pur%C3%A9e" title="Purée" >purées</a></i>are vegetable soups thickened with starch; <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisque(food)" title="Bisque (food)" >bisques</a></i> are made from puréed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellfish" title="Shellfish" >shellfish</a> or vegetables thickened with <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream" title="Cream" >cream</a></i>; cream soups may be thickened with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce" title="Béchamel sauce" >béchamel sauce</a>; and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velout%C3%A9_sauce" title="Velouté sauce" >veloutés</a></i> are thickened with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)" title="Egg (food)" >eggs</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter" title="Butter" >butter</a>, and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice" title="Rice" >rice</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentils" title="Lentils" class="mw-redirect" >lentils</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour" title="Flour" >flour</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain" title="Grain" class="mw-redirect" >grains</a>; many popular soups also include carrots and potatoes.
Soups are similar to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew" title="Stew" >stews</a>, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid than stews.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup></p>