9 Cold Soups for Summer: From Gazpacho to Hungarian Cherry Soup

A roundup of nine cold soup recipes from around the world, emphasizing their cultural origins and unique preparation methods. The article highlights that cold soups are a distinct category, not just chilled versions of hot soups, often relying on raw vegetables, bread, nuts, or yogurt for thickening. Featured soups include Spanish gazpacho, salmorejo, and ajo blanco; French vichyssoise; Lithuanian šaltibarščiai; Bulgarian tarator; Japanese hiyajiru; chilled avocado soup; and Hungarian hideg meggyleves. Each entry details ingredients, techniques, and regional significance. The piece notes that gazpacho, from Andalusia, is the most familiar, but older versions predate tomatoes. Salmorejo, from Córdoba, is thicker and garnished with egg and jamón. Ajo blanco, from Málaga, uses almonds and grapes. Vichyssoise, credited to French chef Louis Diat at New York's Ritz-Carlton in 1917, is a chilled potato-leek soup. Šaltibarščiai, a Lithuanian beet soup with kefir, is served with hot potatoes. Tarator, a Bulgarian yogurt soup with walnuts and dill, is thinned with water. Hiyajiru, from Miyazaki, Japan, is a miso and fish soup poured over hot rice. Chilled avocado soup is a modern creation with lime and cilantro. Hideg meggyleves, a Hungarian sour cherry soup, is served as a starter or dessert. The article stresses using fresh, high-quality ingredients and notes that some soups keep longer than others.