Scotland is justly known for its soups and broths.

As a relatively poor nation on the edge of Europe, thrifty Scots traditionally made the best of their resources and avoided waste.

Using cheap, simple, readily available ingredients they produced nutritious, comforting and warming meals cooked in a single pot.

'The French take the lead of all European people in soups and broths; the Scotch rank second, the Welsh next; and … the English, as a nation, though with many honourable exceptions, are at the very bottom of the scale.'
— Meg Dods, 'The Cook and Housewife's Manual', Edinburgh, 1826 [Library reference: NG.833.b.4]

Soup is extraordinarily diverse.

Today it can still be a substantial 'meal in a bowl' for the poor or those in a hurry, but it might also be the first course of a family dinner, a light dish for an invalid, or a delicacy for a special event.

Whether home-made or mass-produced in a tin or packet, there is a soup for every occasion.

A meal in a bowl

Broth, simmered for hours over the open fire in a large pot or cauldron, was the mainstay of Scottish cookery for centuries.
A meal in a bowl

Hotch Potch

Hotch Potch is a traditional soup that can also be considered a stew.
Hotch Potch

Soup on the table

Today, soup is usually served as the first course of a main meal or as on its own as a light meal.
Soup on the table

Traditional soups

Some traditional soups are still served today, but others have been forgotten.
Traditional soups

High-class soups

Soup is as popular with the well-to-do as with ordinary people.
High-class soups

Soup for the poor

Nourishing, warming soups are easily made from cheap, readily available ingredients. It is the ideal food in hard times.
Soup for the poor

Soup for invalids

Soups have long been used to tempt the appetite of the sick and build up their strength.
Soup for invalids

Soup in a tin

Preserving food in cans was developed in the 19th century primarily for providing the armed services with meat.
Soup in a tin