The world has been carrying on a love affair with soup for more than 8,000 years — all the way back to the time our ancestors hunted down a 3,000-pound beast and tossed it into a pot of boiling water.

We’ve come a long way since then.Today we can eat our soup hot, cold, spicy, creamy, thick, clear. We can have it for lunch or dinner. We can open a can and dump it into a pot, or we can make our own stock from the freshest ingredients and spend hours perfecting a complex consommé.We can dine on a chilled gazpacho or cold pineapple soup in summer, or hunker down with a rich, thick chili or cream of mushroom soup in winter. How about an apple cheddar soup to celebrate the flavors of fall, or a tasty cream of asparagus in the spring?Hungry yet?They say bread is life, but maybe, with all these choices, it’s really soup.We asked readers to name their favorite soups. We even have some recipes to share in our “salute to soup” in honor of National Soup Month.From Candy KnappenbergerSeafood Chowder RecipeMakes 12 servings¼cup butter1 large onion, chopped1 cup carrots, chopped1 cup celery, chopped2 10-oz cans of baby clams (drained)12 ounces peeled, cleaned shrimp (if raw sauté until they turn pink/orange)16 ounces of imitation crab2 cans cream of potato soup2 cans cream of shrimp soup4 cups of milkSalt, pepper,and paprika to tasteIn a 4-quart pot, add butter, onion, carrots, celery and sauté until tender. Then add clams, shrimp and imitation crab. Cook for 10 minutes. Next add cream of potato soup, cream of shrimp soup and milk. Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Cook on low for 30 minutes.From Linda Wechsler, New RinggoldUnstuffed Pepper SoupThis recipe is for the electric pressure cooker1½pounds ground beef2 tablespoons olive oil1 small yellow onion chopped (1 cup)2 cups of chopped bell peppers (about 2 nice-sized peppers)2 cloves garlic, minced1 26-ounce can chopped tomatoes or a can of petite diced (You can also use fresh tomatoes if on hand.)1 15-ounce can tomato sauce. You can also substitute with V8 vegetable juice reg. or spicy if you like.1 carton (32 ounces) of chicken or beef brothSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish (Or 1 teaspoon of dried), optional½teaspoon dried basil, optional¼teaspoon dried oregano, or any seasonings you preferCheddar or mozzarella cheese for serving, optional3 cups cooked white long-grain rice (Cook rice separately first, also in the pressure cookerIn the pressure cooker, on sauté function, sauté ground beef with olive oil until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.Add garlic, onion, bell peppers and sauté for 1 or 2 more minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped parsley, dry herbs and spices. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until it starts simmering. Add broth. Continue simmering on sauté for a few more minutes.Press cancel, close, lock lid, seal and set on soup setting for 8 minutes or on high pressure. Do a quick release (releasing any remaining pressure in your pot).Once soup is done, stir in desired amount of cooked rice into soup.*Add ½ cup of cooked rice to each bowl. Serve warm topped with optional cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.Long Grain White Rice2 cups long grain white rice (rinsed and drained.)2½cups water1 teaspoon kosher salt or½teaspoon table saltPour the rice, water and salt into the pressure cooker and stir.Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off (cancel) warming mode and let pressure come down for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure in the pot. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.*For a thinner soup don’t add all of the rice but if you like an thicker heartier soup add it all. Also, if you plan on having it for leftovers the next day then don’t add the rice to the pot of soup, just add it to each individual bowl, then reserve the rice in a separate container in refrigerator to add to the soup the next day (otherwise it would turn into mush).Don’t have a pressure cooker? Here’s another recipe for a stuffed pepper soup from Priscilla Offen of Palmerton.Stuffed Pepper Soup1 pound ground beef1 clove garlic, minced1 small onion, chopped1 tablespoon butter1 15-ounce can tomato sauce1 14.5-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained1 14.5-ounce can beef broth1 green pepper, chopped1 teaspoon salt½teaspoon pepper1 cup cooked riceGrated mozzarella cheese, optionalBrown the ground beef and drain. Sautéonion and garlic in the butter until tender. In large pot, combine all ingredients except the rice and cheese and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the green pepper is tender. Add the rice and heat through. Soup may be served with grated mozzarella cheese on top. Serves approximately 6.Here’s a recipe from Pat Jackson, one of our neighbors to the north.Vegetarian Borscht2 tablespoons butter (or canola oil)1 large onion chopped2 ribs celery, diced2 cloves garlic, minced3 teaspoons caraway seed1 tablespoon paprika2 large beets, shredded (or finely diced)½ head red cabbage, shredded1 large carrot, diced1 large potato, diced1 48-ounce can tomato juice2 cups water or vegetable broth1/3 cup fresh dill, choppedSalt and pepper to tasteSour cream or plain Greek yogurtIn a large stock pot, sauté onion and celery in oil until tender. Stir in garlic, caraway seeds and paprika.Add beets, cabbage, carrots, potato, tomato juice and water/broth.Bring to a simmer and cook 30-45 minutes until vegetables are tender.Stir in dill, season with salt and pepperServe with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.And here’s recipe for a Thai-style soup that comes from Rhonnie Brinsdon, way over on the other side of the world.Chicken LaksaServes 41 large chicken breast1 tablespoon oil3 cloves garlic, chopped1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger1-2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce1 cup snow peas1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander1 1/2 cups coconut milk1 tablespoon fish sauce3 1/2 cups chicken stock10.5 ounces udon noodles (or thin spaghetti)Salt and pepper to tasteSlice chicken into thin strips and saute quickly in a little oil in a wok or saucepan. Remove and set aside. In the pan add garlic, ginger, chili sauce and snow peas. Cook for one minute. Add coriander, coconut milk and fish sauce; then add chicken stock. Bring up to a simmer and add noodles, then cook until noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.From FacebookJoan M. Jones: Butternut squash!Lynn Artz ChiliRowan Eden Too many to name! Split Pea Soup, Beef Barley, African Curry Stew.Stacey King Cabbage roll soup.Luann Fortenboher Carangelo Your Mom’s wedding soup recipe’Nancy Pierson Ternberg Spicy chicken tortilla.Erin Changary Menudo RojoCindy Becker Hamburger SoupKrista Selig Paradowski Ham and split pea soup.Vickie Delso White Bean ChiliRhonda K Donaldson Beef and Barley soup