Talk:Hot and sour soup

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Vegetarian?[edit]

Although North American hot and sour soup contains vegetables rather than meats, the broth isn't usually vegetarian. It's sometimes made from a pre-made broth powder, which probaby isn't vegetarian either. Traditionally, pork blood is used in the recipe and the broth is likely to not be vegetarian in many recipes. Badagnani 05:40, 19 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The South East Asian soups are not hot and sour soup! They are Sweet and sour soup. Your confusing them! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.59.121.39 (talk) 04:41, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The question is, does it taste good? 76.168.73.184 (talk) 01:15, 15 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

China[edit]

This article claims that this soup can be found in Sichuan, China, but I beg to differ. I am american, but my wife and her family are all from Sichuan. I asked them about the soup, and none of them, parents included, have ever encountered this soup in any of its forms. All the ingredients, they are familiar with, but the soup itself is absent. Granted I have only asked 12 people or so about the soup, but to ask more then 10 people about a dish that is supposedly native to the region and have no one recognize it... Let me just say, i want a source for this as Sichuan cuisine. I think the claim is nothing but hot air. 118.123.92.138 (talk) 11:43, 19 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You are right to be sceptical. Hot and sour soup can refer to many different recipes with little or no relation between them other than being broadly Asian in origin. It is quite likely that Hot and sour soup is entirely western concept used to describe a variety of foreign dishes that would otherwise have no English name - in much the same way that we use the word curry to refer to any Asian spicy stew irrespective of any ingredients or spice contained within.

A quick check on Google books throws up a good many cook books referring to hot and sour soup as part of Sichuan cuisine. Examples:

Stovetop Low Carb Recipes by Lisa Shea ISBN 9781304792006
1001 Foods To Die For by Madison Books, Andrews McMeel Publishing,LLC, Corby Kummer ISBN 9780740770432 Page 138
Knack Chinese Cooking: A Step-by-Step Guide to Authentic Dishes Made Easy by Belinda Hulin, Kian Lam Kho, Liesa Cole ISBN 9780762758463 Page 8
Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry by Frederick J. Simoons ISBN 9780849388040 Page 53

I can find one book giving an alternative origin:

Food Plants of China by Shiu-ying Hu ISBN 9789629962296 Page 71, gives the origin as North of China though that doesn't contradict our article as it does mention a variety form Beijing as well as Sichuan.

Searching on Chinese websites, I find the soup typically listed as either Sichuan or Hunan cuisine. I would be inclined to leave the article as it is.

Rincewind42 (talk) 07:12, 22 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I don't believe these books serve as reliable evidence, as most of the authors have never visited Sichuan, even China.

Regarding the Chinese content you mentioned, it's likely they used sources from Taiwan. After the Chinese civil war, many soldiers from mainland China fled to Taiwan; these individuals are known as "Waishengren." They brought their own cuisines with them, including dishes from Henan and Sichuan. Since many Taiwanese people couldn't distinguish between these cuisines and the reputation of Sichuan cuisine was so prominent, they often mistakenly labelled this food as originating from Sichuan. In reality, it is not, especially since its cooking methods differ significantly from authentic Sichuan cuisine. For example, the geng like dish is not what you would expect to see in Sichuan.

I have lived in Sichuan and Chongqing for over 20 years and never saw such thing called "Hot and sour soup", never heard anyone talked about it, and never tasted it. Probably the only time I came across it was in a report about a Northeastern Chinese restaurant. I have been to the surrounding areas as well, including some parts of Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Hubei, and this dish is equally no where to be find there. チャリス (talk) 01:57, 18 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Accompaniments[edit]

Usually served with fried wonton noodles/strips. F. L. (talk) 17:47, 11 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]