I may pretend to know what I’m talking about in the kitchen most of the time, but I didn’t go to cooking school and I still have lots of questions. One of the things that I’ve been pondering lately is the naming of recipes; in particular, I’ve wondered how cookbook writers know how to draw the line between a soup and a stew and of course that leads to wonder what exactly makes a chowder a chowder or a bouillabaisse a bouillabaisse.

Since I figure I’m not the only one wondering, I thought I’d share some definitions I found.

Bisque

a thick, rich soup usually consisting of pureed seafood and cream. Newer recipes may use poultry or vegetables in place of seafood.

Bouillabaisse

a French seafood stew made of fish, shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, garlic, saffron and herbs.

Bouillon

a broth made from cooking vegetables, poultry, meat or fish in water.

Chowder

a thick, chunky seafood or other rich soup containing chunks of food.

Consomme

clarified meat or fish broth

Gazpacho

an uncooked soup made of a pureed mixture of fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumber, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and sometimes lemon juice which is served cold; also served chunky-style. You may also see this spelled “gaspacho.”

Soup

asically any combination of vegetables, fruit, meat, and/or fish cooked in a liquid.

Stew

a dish containing meat, vegetables and a thick soup-like broth made from a combination of the stewing liquid and the natural juices of the food being stewed.

Stock

strained liquid that is the result of cooking vegetables, meat or fish and other seasonings in water.

For more, visit About.com’s Soup/Stew Glossary.

Index Tags: Misc. Cooking Info