Soups can be classified into two main categories :

Ø     Clear soup

Ø     Thick soups 

Clear Soups – Consommés and Bouillon’sThese soups are prepared from stock, flavoured with various meats, poultry, game or fish, with vegetables, herbs and seasonings.  Consommés are clarified and should be crystal-clear when finished.  They may be served plain or with a garnish.  Bouillon’s are carefully cooked and clear without being clarified and can be served plain or with a garnish.

·     Thick soups – Potages lies

·     Unpassed Soups – Potages, Soups, Broth’s

 These soups are prepared from vegetables cut in varying shapes, cooked in stock, sometimes with the addition of cereals and pieces of meat or poultry, and served unpassed. 

    Passed Soups:1) Puree-based soups.These soups are made from fresh or dried vegetables cooked with stock and sometimes with the addition of meat, poultry or cereals.  The ingredients act as the sole thickening agent and, as the name implies, they are passed.  Puree-based soups are better designated ‘Potage’ when included on the menu; when finished with cream it is in order to designate them as a ‘Crème’. 

2) VeloutesThese soups are prepared from a base of roux diluted with the appropriate flavoured stock and cooked with the addition of blanched vegetables, meat, poultry, game or fish.  They are passed, finished with a liaison of egg yolks and cream and are invariably garnished.

 3) Cremes – Cream SoupsThese soups must be of a smooth consistency and it is essential that they are finished with cream.  There are three acceptable methods of preparation:a) The classical method using Béchamel, puree of the appropriate cooked ingredients and of the appropriate stock and finished with cream. a.                      A puree-based soup finished with cream. b.                      A veloute-based soup finished with cream instead of cream and egg yolks. 

4) Bisques.These soups are made specifically from raw shellfish, vegetables, fish stock, wines, herbs and seasonings, thickened with rice, passed and finished with wine and cream.

 5) Brown Soups.These soups are mainly of British origin and are usually prepared from a base of roux diluted with stock and cooked with the addition of vegetables and meat.  They are passed and are usually garnished.   

Special Unclassified SoupsThese are a number of soups which do not easily fit into the previous classifications. 

Cold SoupsThis includes specially prepared cold soups as well as those which can be successfully served cold as well as hot