Egg drop soup
Encyclopedia
Egg drop soup is a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...

 of wispy beaten eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...

 in boiled chicken broth. Condiments such as black pepper or white pepper, and finely chopped scallion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...

s and tofu are also commonly added. The soup is finished by adding a thin stream of beaten eggs to the boiling broth in the final moments of cooking, creating thin, silken strands or flakes of cooked egg that float in the soup. Egg drop soup using different recipes is also known as a simple-to-prepare soup in different European countries and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

American Chinese cuisine

In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, egg drop soup is often one of the main soups offered in American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...

, and is also called egg flower soup. Cornstarch
Cornstarch
Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch is the starch of the corn grain obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel.-History:...

 may be used to thicken the chicken stock and add a rich texture.

Chinese cuisine

In Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

,egg drop soups have a thinner consistency than their Western counterpart. Depending on the region, they may be garnished with ingredients ranging from tofu
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...

, scallion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...

, bean sprouts and corn.

Japanese cuisine

In Japan, egg is often dropped scrambled as the topping for tsukimi udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...

 or soba
Soba
is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...

. The moon-like appearance of the whole yolk is responsible for the name, which means "moon viewing".

European cuisine

In Italy, stracciatella
Stracciatella
Stracciatella is an Italian egg-drop soup usually said to be "alla Romana" , but also popular in Marche and Emilia Romagna. It is prepared by beating eggs and adding grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes semolina, and then adding this mixture to boiling broth...

, a version made of egg and parmesan cheese, is a popular variant of egg drop soup.

Similarly in France le Tourin
Le Tourin
Tourin is a type of garlic soup, from France, also known as le tourin d'ail doux, or Smooth Garlic Soup. Many regions have their own variations on the recipe. Typically, many recipes include as many as 20 cloves of garlic for a much stronger flavor. However other recipes include an equal measure...

, a garlic soup, is made with egg whites which are drizzled into the soup in much the same way as egg drop soup is made.

Also in Spain, the similar and traditional Sopa de ajo (literally "garlic soup") uses egg whites to thicken the broth on a similar way that egg drop soup.

In Austria, (Eierflockensuppe or Eierflöckchensuppe) egg drop soup is a simple, traditional recipe generally made for very young children or sick people. Scrambled eggs are mixed with flour and then poured into boiling soup in order to make small egg dumplings. Spices can be added to the egg-flour mixture according to taste.

See also

  • Egg tongsui
  • Hot and sour soup
    Hot and sour soup
    Hot and sour soup can refer to soups from several Asian culinary traditions. In all cases the soup contains ingredients to make it both spicy and sour.-United States:Soup preparation may use chicken or pork broth, or may be meat-free...

  • Corn crab soup
    Corn crab soup
    Corn crab soup is a dish found in Chinese cuisine, American Chinese cuisine, and Canadian Chinese cuisine. The soup is actually cream of corn soup with egg white and crab meat or imitation crab meat added...

  • Chicken and dumplings
    Chicken and dumplings
    Chicken and dumplings is a popular comfort food dish, commonly found in the Southern and Midwestern United States, that is also attributed to being a French Canadian meal that originated during the Great Depression...

  • Dumpling
    Dumpling
    Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may...

  • Miso soup
    Miso soup
    is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Many ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference.-Miso paste:...


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