Top 27 Cold Soups
in the World

This thick French soup is made with puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. There is an ongoing debate about its origin – some claim it has French roots, while others insist that the soup is an American invention. One group of food historians say that the soup was invented by French chef Jules Gouffe in 1859, while others believe the original creator to be Louis Diat, a French chef who worked at the New York Ritz-Carlton. Inspired by the potato and leek soup of his childhood, he named the soup crème Vichyssoise glacée after his hometown of Vichy. Today, the soup is traditionally served cold and is often garnished with fresh chopped chives.Expand

This refreshing, cold beetroot soup is a part of traditional Lithuanian cuisine. It consists of a creamy blend of pickled or boiled beetroots and tangy kefir or buttermilk, poured over grated cucumbers and hard-boiled eggs. The whole soup is generously seasoned with dill, and usually left to set until all the flavors are thoroughly combined. It is usually prepared in the summertime, and is best served chilled, preferably with potatoes on the side. It can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a light main course.Expand

Found in various forms throughout cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, cacık is a refreshing Turkish dip made with strained or diluted yogurt mixed with finely chopped cucumbers and minced garlic. It is traditionally flavored with olive oil, dill weed, mint, either lemon juice or vinegar, and sometimes even oregano, thyme, sumac, and paprika. Cacık is served chilled and it is used for virtually everything from various appetizers to main dishes. It pairs especially well with classic Turkish meat fare such as köfte and kebabs of all kinds. As a side dish, cacık is typically enjoyed in place of a salad, diluted with water and eaten with a spoon, like soup.Expand

Porra Antequerana is a Spanish soup originating from the Malaga town called Antequera. Originally, the soup was served warm, and it was made with old bread, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, vegetables, pieces of ham, hard-boiled eggs, and other ingredients the peasants had on hand. The ingredients were puréed into a soup using a mortar (porra) and pestle. Over time, the soup started to be served cold, usually as an appetizer or a tapa. Nowadays, there are many variations on porra Antequerana, with some recipes adding ingredients such as tuna on top of the soup.Expand

Tarator is a Bulgarian cold soup made with Bulgarian yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, chopped dill, sunflower oil, walnuts, and a bit of water or ice. However, there are numerous varieties of this refreshing soup (especially in North Macedonia), so some ingredients might be omitted, while others might be added – nuts are sometimes replaced with bread and cucumbers are sometimes replaced with carrots or lettuce. A variety known as simple tarator is made with vinegar and water instead of yogurt. The soup is always served well-chilled, and it is especially popular on hot summer days.Expand

This Andalusian cold almond soup is known as the precursor of gazpacho; it originated during the Moorish middle ages, predating the arrival of tomatoes and peppers by several centuries. Ajoblanco traditionally consisted of a puréed mixture of stale bread that was moistened with vinegar and water, a hefty amount of fresh garlic, and almonds — the region's most abundant crop, but modern recipes also often include ingredients such as milk and green grapes. If available, always use Marcona almonds when making ajoblanco. The perfect starter for a summer lunch, this creamy soup is best enjoyed well chilled, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with toasted almonds.Expand

It is enough to read this combination of ingredients to make a gourmet salivate: buckwheat and starch noodles placed into a cool beef broth accompanied by pickled radish, slices of hard-boiled eggs, and Korean pear, all of the ingredients seasoned with mustard and vinegar. That's naengmyeon, a cold noodle soup and a favorite summertime treat in Korea. In the past, the dish was typically consumed during winter with radish kimchi, obtained from the pots buried in the yard where kimchi was left to ferment. Buckwheat noodles originate from North Korea, since it was the main production center of buckwheat, but after the Korean War, the dish became popular throughout the country and was consumed regardless of the season. According to local customs (and a bit of superstition), these long noodles should be consumed without cutting, as they are a symbol of good health and longevity. More than just a flavorful dish, naengmyeon is a cultural and gastronomical bridge between two divided Korean countries.Expand

Khaladnik is a cold beet soup that has been a staple of Belarusian cuisine since the late 18th century. It is made with boiled beets mixed with kefir, cucumbers, spring onions, and dill. The soup is traditionally served with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of chopped dill, and often a hard-boiled egg on top. This refreshing summer favorite has a distinctive pink color and a fresh, sour taste that is perfectly contrasted by a side of boiled potatoes.Expand

Salmorejo is a refreshing Andalusian soup that is traditionally served cold. It is especially popular during the warm, summer days. The soup consists of puréed tomatoes, bread, garlic, oil, and vinegar. Thick and creamy, salmorejo is often garnished with ingredients such as hard-boiled eggs or Spanish ham. In some cases, it can be served as a tapa dish or as a sauce accompanying toasts or omelets.Expand

Kongguksu is a Korean summer classic that combines noodles and a cold, soy milk broth. Traditionally, the broth is made from scratch by cooking and puréeing soybeans, occasionally with the addition of sesame seeds or different nuts. The dish is usually prepared with somyeon noodles, and it is finished off with the addition of different toppings such as finely sliced cucumbers or tomatoes. Occasionally, ice cubes can be added to chill the soup.Expand