Caldo Verde
The basic traditional ingredients for caldo verde are potatoes, collard greens, olive oil and salt. Garlic and onion are traditionally added as well. Some recipes add meat, such as ham hock, making it similar to Italo-American wedding soup. The soup is usually accompanied by slices of paio, chouriço or linguiça (boiled separately with that water being discarded, the sausage added last minute to the soup), and with Portuguese broa cornbread for dipping.
Canja de Galinha
Known by many Portuguese people as a remedy for all ills, this chicken and rice soup is a good starter for any meal. It consists of a hearty chicken broth that is enriched with sautéed onions and garlic, rice, or orzo pasta, and occasionally diced root vegetables such as celery and carrots. Depending on the region and tradition, the soup is sometimes thickened with beaten egg yolks and seasoned with lemon juice, chopped parsley, or mint leaves.
Gaspacho
Initially served in the Algarve and Alentejo in the summer months, this cold soup of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and lots of garlic differs from the more well-known Spanish version, as half of the vegetables are left whole, not passed, giving the soup a more crispy texture. Also, this soup is made differently from city to city, so prepare to find many different gaspachos across the Algarve.
Açorda
The Portuguese açorda is a popular bread soup appearing in numerous varieties throughout the country. Most açorda soups have a smooth and thick consistency and employ a variety of pounded herbs, garlic, olive oil, and boiling water that is poured over diced bread and left to soften.
Two of the most famous types include the seafood-based açorda de marisco and açorda Alentejana, a regional specialty in which whole slices of bread are served over the broth. Even though it originated as a poor man’s dish, today these comforting soups represent an integral part of Portuguese national cuisine.
Sopa de Tomate
At the first glance, it might seem like a regular tomato soup or gaspacho, but sopa de tomate is made with a few unique ingredients making an extremely flavorful and rich soup. Apart from tomatoes, garlic, and onions, this dish features eggs, with optional potatoes and green pepper.
Just before the soup is ready to be served, a few eggs are cracked into the pot until they become fluffy and poached. Sometimes, the eggs might get stirred, creating cooked egg strings in the process. It is recommended to serve this unique tomato soup with a few slices of crusty artisan bread on the side.
Sopa da Pedra
Although it translates as stone soup, this hearty Portuguese dish is actually a combination of beans and sausages such as chouriço and morcela (blood sausage), as well as pork belly, pig’s ear, and potatoes, while different regional varieties may also include pasta, carrots, and cabbage.
There’s a legend saying that a monk in need wanted to prepare soup by using merely stones and water. When he asked for additional ingredients to supposedly flavor the soup, the family who’d hosted him was more than willing to provide some pork cuts, beans, sausages, and vegetables, and the monk ended with a rich and nutritious dish without any stones inside.
Creme de Legumes
Vegetable Cream – Perfect for the cooler days, this soup is very nutritious, easy to prepare and economic. The base typically includes potato, carrot or pumpkin, which were reduced to puree when cooked.