Avgolemono, as this delicate egg and lemon soup is known, is probably the favorite soup in Greece. It is usually served as starter in Greek celebrations.
Lentil soup is popular in the Greece menu when the Greek Orthodox Church prohibits eating meat or fish, especially during the Great Lent and Good Friday.Lentils are a good source of iron and proteins. Lentil soup is straight forward to make and it can be prepared without oil, if necessary.
The cheese on top of this soup changes from canton to canton. Expect Gruyere in French cantons, Emmentaler if you are in one of the German cantons, and Parmesan in Italian ones.
Far east of Verona is a town called Trieste. From this city hails a soup that shows how the cuisine of Italy has been influenced by other cultures. It uses sauerkraut!
There is a traditional Italian wedding soup that uses some of the same ingredients as the minestrone. But it is much more focused on the meat than the vegetables.
