There are many great soups out there, but here we are going to talk only about 7 world’s best soups for your health and beauty:

1. khao soi – Thai soup
2. banga – Nigerian soup
3. bouillabaisse – French soup
4. sinigang – Filipino soup
5. borscht – Ukrainian soup
6. pho bo – Vietnamese soup
7. caldo verde – Portuguese soup

7 World’s best soups for health and beauty

1

Khao Soi – Thai soup

 

 

Delicious and nutritious, Thai coconut khao soi soup was named the best soup in the world by TasteAtlas.com in 2022.

Khao soi is a traditional Thai soup made with a mix of deep-fried crispy rice noodles and boiled egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime, ground chilies fried in oil, and meat in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. It is usually topped with minced pork, tomatoes, garlic and fermented bean paste. Some believe that khao soi was influenced by Chinese Muslim cuisine and was therefore likely served with chicken or beef.

The soup is at its best in Thailand. But if you don’t have a chance to try it there, don’t worry. Make it yourself at home. The Internet is full of recipes.

And if you don’t have all necessarily ingredients, use a 15-minute coconut curry noodle soup pack, which is like a shortcut version with similar flavors. You just need to add bouillon cubes, coconut milk, red curry paste, and dried noodles.

2

Banga – Nigerian soup

 

 

Also known as palm nut soup, banga soup is a pinnacle of Nigerian cuisine. For years, from generation to generation, this unique indigenous soup has been made and enjoyed by Nigerians.

Delicious and nourishing, banga soup is made from a variety of meat (marinated or fresh) and fish (fresh, dried or smoked), palm nut fruit, and an assortment of spices. Being about the size of a large plum, the palm fruit grows in large bunches. It has an oily flesh and a single seed. For banga soup, the fresh fruit can be used if it is available. But even though there is an access to it, people prefer its concentrated canned version.

Banga soup is a nutrient treasure chest. It incredibly rich in proteins, including collagen; unsaturated fat; omega-3 fatty acids; vitamins A, E and K; a variety of powerful antioxidants; and many nutrients that support good brain function. Vitamin E from palm nut fruit consists of 30% of tocopherols and 70% of tocotrienols. Tocotrienol has been extensively researched for its health benefits, including antioxidant activities, cholesterol lowering, anti-cancer effects and protection against atherosclerosis.

3

Bouillabaisse – French soup

 

 

Originated in the French port city of Marseille by poor fishermen who were unable to sell the bony rockfish to restaurants or markets, bouillabaisse has become one of the world’s most nutritious and delicious soups.

Bouillabaisse also includes other seafood such as shellfish, sea urchins, mussels, crabs, and octopus; and today, even with lobsters for the more expensive versions. Actually, any fish (at least two kinds of fish) and seafood that available will do the trick. The base is fish and seafood stock cooked together with leeks, onions, tomatoes, garlic, celery, potatoes, and saffron, which gives the soup its distinctive flavors and orange color.

It’s a must to serve the soup with grilled slices of bread and a special rouille sauce – mayo made of olive oil, garlic, saffron, and cayenne pepper. It’s what makes a bouillabaisse different from any other fish soup.

There are hundreds of the bouillabaisse recipes and even in Marseille people debates over the proper one.

All health and beauty benefits are hidden in a bouillabaisse soup. Rich in iodine, collagen, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin B12, bouillabaisse is the king of fish stocks.

4

Sinigang – Filipino soup

 

 

Sinigang is one of the most popular dishes in Filipino cuisine. In humble peasant dwellings and in luxurious world class resorts, sinigang is well respected and well accepted. Together with tamarind, tomatoes, garlic, and onions, beef, shrimp, pork, and fish are commonly used to cook sinigang.

However, sinigang is most often associated with tamarind that gives the soup its distinguished sour and savory taste. The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like fruits that contain a sweet, tangy pulp, which is used in cuisines around the world.

Filipinos like to cook sinigang with other vegetables such as okra, taro corms (which are full of starch that thickens the stock), white radish, water spinach, yardlong beans, eggplant, and long green peppers to enhance the taste and add a little spice.

In 2021, for a second consecutive year, sinigang was named the Best Soup in the World by Taste Atlas.

5

Borscht – Ukrainian soup

 

 

With its distinctive scarlet hue that comes from red beetroots, Ukrainian borscht is meat stock with a variety of vegetables main of them are beets, cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Traditionally, it is served with fresh herbs and a spoonful of sour cream. Ukrainian joke says that good borscht should be thick enough in amount of ingredients for a spoon to stand upright in it.

Meat stock is an excellent source of proteins, especially collagen, which is necessary for the bones, muscles, skin, hair, and nails. The anthocyanins and betalains from beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support for the body. Beside other goodies, tomatoes have a hidden gem – lycopene – super powerful aphrodisiac. And the list can go on and on. Borscht contains such a huge amount of all imaginable nutrients and biologically active substances that it can be considered a therapeutic product.

Like a mirror, borsch reflects the character of Ukrainian kitchen: it is hearty, fragrant, colorful, thick, and incredibly tasty. Borsch has glorified Ukrainian cuisine.

6

Pho bo – Vietnamese soup

 

 

The staple of Vietnamese kitchen and a culinary attraction of Vietnam is a pho soup. The main ingredients are meat stock, rice noodles, and herbs. The basis is meat stock, which is cooked for at least 8 hours. Traditionally, pho bo soup has to be accompanied with a bowl of sweet, savory and refreshing herbs: Thai basil, houttuynia (or fish mint mint), fragrant knotweed, perilla, elsholtzia and other plants that we have never seen on the shelves of North American or European supermarkets.

Pho bo is served in households, street stalls and restaurants countrywide. Rich in vitamins and microelements, nutritious, but not too high in calories, pho soup doesn’t affect your weight.

The origins of pho are a bit murky, but it is generally believed it first appeared on the streets of Hanoi in the 19th century, when street vendors carried two fragrant boxes. One of them contained noodles, spices, seafood and other dressings for the dish. And in another, rich beef broth was languishing on the coals. People could choose what and in what quantities to fill it. This feature of a pho soup has been preserved to this day. And you can choose the filling yourself.

7

Caldo verde – Portuguese soup

 

 

Caldo verde is a traditional Portuguese green soup made with potatoes; finely shredded Portuguese cabbage (essentially a type of collard green), or alternatively other leafy greens such as kale or mustard greens; olive oil; black pepper; onion; and garlic; and served with chouriço smoked sausages. Hearty, homey, cheap, and incredibly tasty.

Considered to be one of the healthiest foods, collard green or leafy kale are very nutritious and rich in vitamins A, B, E and K. They are low in calories and high in fiber, protein, and iron.