We love to order soups when we go to restaurants before ordering the main meal and enjoy these warm liquid food servings as appetizers. Soups are also resorted to by millions of mothers around the world to make the food more interesting and delicious for their kids. There is another liquid food variety served in bowls called bisque that confuses many because of its similarities with soups. For those who do not know, bisque is a type of soup of French origin. However, there are many differences between the two that will be highlighted in this article.
Soup
Soups are liquid food items that are made by boiling meats or vegetables in water till their flavors get extracted in the broth. Soups are traditionally served hot and considered delicious by most people around the world. Some soups contain no ingredients and are full of flavors of meats that are boiled in water to make these soups. Some soups contain these ingredients in small pieces. Soups can be clear or thick. Clear soups contain no thickening agent, whereas thick soups contain starch or other thickening agents. Flours, rice, lentils, grains etc are also used to make thick soups.
There are also stews that are prepared much the same way as soups but serves as a main course in the meal in a sharp contrast to soups that are eaten as liquid food. Stews contain large chunks of meats or vegetables while soups are clear of big pieces of meats, and the basic idea is to prepare a broth that contains the flavor of the meat that is used as an ingredient in the soup.
Bisque
As the name implies, bisque is a word of French origin, and the liquid food variety known as bisque was actually first made in France. Bisque is, in fact, a special type of soup that has been thickened by adding puree. It is rich in texture and tastes smooth because of the addition of French wine like cognac. There is also cream and some more spices that are used to give flavor to the seafood that is the main ingredient in bisque.
Though seafood is the chief characteristic of bisque, today, many varieties of bisques can be found in different parts of the world with flavors not known in France. Even seafood is not necessarily the chief ingredient in bisques made outside France.
If you have never made it before and want it to be prepared the genuine French manner, sauté seafood in a pan and add the wine to prepare the broth, the base of the soup, and several spices can be added as per your taste or liking. Let the seafood simmer in this stock until it has been well cooked. Puree and cream are finally added to give the bisque its rich and smooth texture.
Bisque is considered a very rich and expensive kind of soup and mainly served in big events and parties.
What is the difference between Soup and Bisque?
• Soup is a generic word that contains many different varieties of liquid foods that are served hot
• Soup is meats or vegetables that are cooked for a long time in water until the flavor of the ingredients gets extracted in the broth
• Bisque is a thick soup of French origin that traditionally contained seafood as the main ingredient
• Bisque is thicker and smoother than most other soups
• Bisque contains cognac or wine which is missing in soups