Soup: A Way of Life

by Barbara Kafka

"Dora, my maternal grandmother," writes Barbara Kafka in her new book, "started the soup tradition that means most to me, which is odd as she was, by all accounts, a bad cook....I hope I am a better cook, and my life has certainly been easier, but I learned from her that a pot of soup is warmth and welcome for family and friends alike." In this stunningly rich and wide-ranging book, Barbara Kafka gives the food we love perhaps best in the world a new vitality. Though the subject is so familiar to us all, her approach is totally original, just as it was in her award-winning Roasting: A Simple Art and Microwave Gourmet . In a wonderfully diverse collection of nearly three hundred recipes from all over the world--some traditional, some newly minted, many so simple they require no cooking at all, each of them very much a part of our spiritual and emotional lives--she offers up a lifetime worth of pleasure:

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

480 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I treasured this book when I received it as a gift from my father. The print quality was higher with a thicker stock than most cookbooks, and I enjoyed thumbing through it before sitting down to read. The book is written with warmth, love and humor, all things that I associate with soup! Kafka starts with basic techniques (How to Boil Water)and then moves into family recipes, many of which have a story that make the recipes memorable and enticing. The recipes are delicious, and go from classics to soups I'd never heard of, easy to more exotic ingredients and cuisines. I cook from it as well as use it as a reference. Over the years, it helped me to make much better soups as well as improved my ability to read and alter other soup recipes. I miss this book in Buenos Aires. I think about it and the delicious recipes. I can make her stocks by heart now, and they're useful for topping pasta, risotto, and quick sauces.

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cook soup for friends every Monday night. Normally I use the ingredients I have and cook with no recipe. This year I decided to be more disciplined. Kafka's book has been on my shelf for a year and I have perused it but never read many of the recipes. This week, after reading through the recipes, I marked about 40 of them for use this year. This should make the soup preparation less mundane and expand my methods and combinations. I selected Kafka because she supposedly does her own research and writes her own book. I like the variety of her ingredients and ideas, the discussion about the food, and the layout of the book. I hope my good friends will enjoy tasting Kafka's recipes as I interpret them.

[Starlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soups are one thing I love to make. Hot or cold, vegetarian or with meat, soup always comforts me, both in the eating and the making. This book has easy recipes as well as information on basic techniques to get you started. Even if you're not a professional cook, this will guide you to meals that your family and friends will love. Don't be afraid of that big stock pot: make it your friend.

[Kozmo Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

soups, soups, and more soups. Everything is here.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, bought it at a used store on a whim and absolutely loved it. Many cookbooks have the authors stories behind the recipes but often they're completely uninteresting and overly self-interested. Kafka's stories were written in such a way that I felt like she was cooking with me, quietly sharing these precious memories that add depth to the recipes rather than distract from them. The photography alone is also worth checking this book out. Highly recommend the Celery soup, Mixed Vegetable Potage and the peanut sauce one if you like a strong flavored (Thai?) inspired soup.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reality is that I will probably never finish using this book. I bought it many years ago, looking for comforting soup recipes to warm the chill pacific coast winters. At the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020 I decided to try to cook every recipes I’m the book. Two-plus years later I am still working on it. I’ve learned so much from this book and explored no doubt more than a hundred of these delightful and fascinating recipes.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the three legs of my "Kafka Kitchen Stool", along with Roasting: A Simple Art and Vegetable Love, this book has certainly lived up to its subtitle: "A Way of Life". Cold, hot, simple or complex, any kind of sustaining, brothy concoction you might want to make is represented here. The beautiful thing is that, once you've delved into the process, you will never fear to improvise or reinvent a recipe: the true mark of a cook.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Highly complex, involving creating many broths from scratch and turning the process into a two-day affair. Other recipes are just off: the corn chowder produces a pot of vegetables in a cream base that is flavorless and would be better termed "steamed vegetables in milk". A fish soup with Japanese dashi is similarly without flavor.

[Lenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting that in this 400-something page soup book, I only found one recipe for broccoli soup. It was entitled "broccoli di rape"; whatever that is! I want good old fashioned broccoli and CHEESE.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I'm less of a soup person than I thought!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new in this one.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

complicated recipes but great results.

[S Vanorse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want soup!