A gourmet food portal dedicated to celebrating traditional dishes from around the world has given a popular Turkish soup near perfect scores. Mercimek Çorbası (lentil soup) was scored 4.7 out of a possible 5 on TasteAtlas’s list of 100 Best Rated Soups in the World.
The Turkish soup was only bettered by Japan’s Tonkotsu Ramen (rated first) and Poland’s Żurek soup (rated second) in the top 100 rankings that was published last month.
TasteAtlas describes Mercimek Çorbası as “a beloved Turkish soup” that is made from “red lentils, chicken stock, onions, and carrots” and usually seasoned with “salt, pepper, cumin, or paprika.”
The entry for soup says it is “Easy to prepare, filling, and warming” and is, “consumed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in rural parts of Turkey, especially in local eateries known as lokantas.”
The portal includes a recipe on how to make the soup, as well as links to restaurants across Turkiye that serve this delicious soup based on recommendations from TasteAtlas readers.
Soups from the Far East dominated the list of Best Rated Soups in the World, with recipes from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines occupying six of the top 10 positions.
TasteAtlas Top 10 Best Rated Soups in the World
- Tonkotsu Ramen (Japan)
- Żurek (Poland)
- Mercimek Çorbası (Turkiye)
- Rawon (Indonesia)
- Sopa de lima (Mexico)
- Bori-bori (Paraguay)
- Ramen (Japan)
- Shoyu Ramen (Japan)
- Tom kha gai (Thailand)
- Sinigang (Philippines)
The Best Rated Soups in the World list is one of hundreds on TasteAtlas that score different categories of foods by type or geography. Where possible, the entries are connected to restaurants serving the dish.
About TasteAtlas
Started by Croatian Matija Babić in 2015 and launching in 2018, TasteAtlas is “an encyclopaedia of flavours, a world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants.”
The site says it has catalogued over 10,000 foods and drinks from around the world, and it is continually adding more through its research and mapping of authentic traditional dishes and flavours from different regions, both popular and those largely forgotten recipes from our childhood.
TasteAtlas says it wants its interactive gourmet travel site to help users “discover and appreciate local foods, [and] respect the people making it.”.
Instead of being driven by user-generated reviews and content, TasteAtlas’s team of 30 authors put the emphasis on reviews and recommendations from gastronomy professionals and food critics when it comes to compiling its lists. The in-house team also refer to schemes that protect authentic foods and standards, such as EU geographical indications, and UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Main image, top, Mercimek Çorbası, photo © Saufi Badaruddin / iStock
