SOUP'S ON AROUND THE WORLD

A brimming bowlful of appreciation for many of the kinds of soup associated with diverse countries and cultures.

This savory companion to Teatime Around the World (2020) touches down first in Thailand for a taste of spicy hot tom yum goong. Waissbluth then spoons out tributes to 19 more soups, from the widely served likes of Spanish gazpacho and Mexican (originally Aztec) pozole to a sweet Christmas fruit soup known in Finland as sekahedelmäkeitto and Australian pie floater (a mixture of meat pie and pea soup often served with a squirt of ketchup on top; it’s rooted, the author frankly acknowledges, in British colonialism). Her focus is mainly localized, though she does note that chicken soup, despite being sometimes called “Jewish penicillin,” has actually been “a favorite for ages, from ancient Greece to China.” Rather than provide full recipes, she tallies enough common ingredients and flavorings to convey a taste of each entry’s distinctive character, with a comment or two about historical or cultural connections for extra flavor. O’Byrne underscores the inclusive spirit with scenes of broadly diverse groups large and small, in mixes of modern and traditional dress, happily slurping away in a range of public and private settings. The author and illustrator each close with a favorite recipe. “Soup’s on. / Time to eat. / A world of flavors, / where friends meet.”

Delicious and nutritious.