Follow the links to a Great Soup Spot: All About Bisque Soups
Soup History and Recipes
Want to know more about bisques came about and find some really great recipes for Bisque Soups ? Well, you've come to the right place.
A bisque is a type of soup that is rich, thick and creamy in texture. It's been pureed to give it that smooth taste and is traditionally made with cognac or wine, cream and a blend of spices to flavor seafood. Bisques, as the name suggests, was first found in France. Today, however, you can find bisques all over the world and with a huge variety of flavors - not necessarily having to do with seafood, either.
If you are making a traditional bisque, it would go something like this: saute seafood in a heavy pan and then add the broth. The broth is made by mixing wine with your soup stock and a variety of spices in the pan. The seafood (still in it's shell if crustaceans are used) then simmers in this aromatic base stock until cooked through. Once cooked, it is then puréed (shells and all) in a food processor.
After being puréed, cream is added to the mixture. As it cooks, the cream helps to thicken the soup into the desired consistency. Now it's ready to be served and you can garnish with some beautiful cracked pepper or sprig of parsley.
Bisques are not limited to just seafood these days. Now, you can find bisque soup recipes in all kinds of flavors and with all kinds of ingredients. Look at the end of this article for a fewgreat recipe ideas.
There is a big debate about the origin of the word, bisque. There are some food historians that think the word refers to the fact that this type of soup is cooked not once, but twice. Others believe that the origin of the word is related to the Bay of Biscay. The type of food from Biscay usually includes spicy ingredients similar to those used in bisque, but also in another soup called Biscay. Biscay Soup uses heavily spiced game birds in a recipe that mirrors typical recipes for bisque.
Another interesting fact about bisque is that it's considered a close relative of another kind of soup called Chowder. Chowder is also a creamy soup, most of the time a seafood soup. The difference between bisque and chowder is that chowder has thick chunks of ingredients in the rich base, while the bisque has a creamy, smooth texture. To read more about bisque's relative, go to our Chowder Soups page.Bisque is often served at high-end events because of it's smooth, creamy texture, complex and interesting flavors, and beautiful colors. One of the most popular bisque recipes is Lobster Bisque. Because of the long cooking process involved, Lobster Bisque has a wonderful many-layered flavor. Today's way of cooking means that the lobster shell gets removed. However, old-time traditionalists believe that bisque is not truely bisque without the finely puréed shells that serve to thicken the soup.
Personally, I'd leave out the shells! Now you know!
