Okra soup

Okra or Okro is a word and soup that is believed to have originated from the Igbo speaking people of Nigeria, since the word itself is derived from the original Igbo term — "Ọkwụrụ" or Ọ́kụ̀rụ̀."^[1]It is prepared using the edible green seed pods of the okra flowering plant as a primary ingredient. Other vegetables can be added to the soup as well, such as ewedu, kerenkere, or Ugu leaf. Depending on the specific variant being prepared, okra soup can have a clear broth or be deep green in colour, much like the okra plant itself. Okra (and, by extension, okra soup) can have a slippery or "slimy" mouthfeel. The edible green seed pods can also be used in other stews and soups, such as the American dish gumbo.^[2]

Indonesian sayur oyong (okra soup) in clear light broth

Nigeria

In Nigeria, okra soup is a delicacy and is popular amongst Igbos, Yorubas, Efiks, Hausas, and other Nigerian ethnic groups.^[3] In Yoruba, it is referred to as obe lla .^[4][5][6][7]

China

Chinese okra soup is a "country style dish often served at family meals".^[8] Chinese okra differs significantly from the varieties of okra commonly available in the West.

Indonesia

In Indonesian cuisine, okra soup is called sayur oyong. It is usually served in clear chicken broth with rice vermicelli (bihun) or mung bean vermicelli (sohun), with slices of bakso (ground beef surimi).

Japan

In Japanese cuisine, okra and nagaimo are usually used as an addition or variation to miso soup.

United States

In the United States, the first recipe for okra soup was published in 1824 in the book The Virginia Housewife.^[9][10] After this initial publication, okra soup was commonly included in American cookbooks.^[9] In the late 1800s, okra soup recipes were commonly published in The New York Times.^[11] American okra soup can be prepared using canned, frozen, or fresh okra.^[12] It is a traditional soup in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.^[13]

Gallery

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  okra - Soup
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  Miso soup with okra and nagaimo
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  Okro Soup
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  Nigerian okra soup
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  An image of Amala and Seafood Okro

See also

• Food portal

• Gumbo
• List of soups
• List of vegetable soups