CLEAR SOUP – based on a clear, unthickened broth or stock. May be served plain or garnished with a variety of vegetables & meats

VEGETABLE SOUP – a clear, seasoned stock or broth with the addition of one or more vegetables & sometimes meat or poultry products & starches

CONSOMME – a rich, flavorful stock or broth that has been clarified to make it perfectly clear & transparent

CREAM SOUP – a soup that is thickened with roux, beurre manie, liaison, or other added thickening agents & have the addition of milk and/or cream. Cream soups are usually named after their major ingredients such as Cream of Chicken or Cream of Asparagus

PUREE – soup that is naturally thickened by pureeing one or more of its ingredients. It is not as smooth & creamy as a cream soup

BISQUE – a thickened soup made from shellfish. It is usually prepared like cream soup & almost always finished with cream.

CHOWDER – a hearty American soup made from fish, shellfish, and/or vegetables. Although they are made in many different ways, they usually contain milk & potatoes

POTAGE – a term sometimes associated with certain thick, hearty soups, but it is actually a general term for soup

SPECIALITY & NATIONAL SOUPS- a catch-all category that includes soups that don’t fit well into the main categories & soups that are native to particular countries or regions

CLEARMEAT – a mixture of ground meat, egg whites, & flavoring ingredients used to clarify consommes

RAFT – the coagulated clearmeat that forms when stock is clarified