Egg drop soup

American Chinese cuisine

In the United States, egg drop soup is often one of the main soups offered in American Chinese cuisine, and is also called egg flower soup, a literal translation of its Chinese name, on the menus of some restaurants. Cornstarch may be used to thicken it.

Chinese cuisine

In Chinese cuisine, egg drop soups have a thinner consistency than most common Western variants. Depending on the region, they may be garnished with ingredients such as tofu, scallion, bean sprouts and corn.

Japanese cuisine

In Japan, egg is often dropped unscrambled as the topping for tsukimi (月見) udon or soba. The moon-like appearance of the whole yolk is responsible for the name, which means "moon viewing."

Western cuisine

In Italy, stracciatella, a version made of egg and parmesan cheese, is a popular variant of egg drop soup.

Similarly in France le tourin, a garlic soup, is made with egg whites which are drizzled into the soup in a similar way to how traditional egg drop soup is made.

Also in Spain, the similar and traditional sopa de ajo (literally "garlic soup") uses egg whites to thicken the broth in a similar fashion.

In Austria, egg drop soup (Eierflockensuppe or Eierflöckchensuppe) is a simple, traditional recipe generally made for very young children or sick people. Scrambled eggs are mixed with flour and then poured into boiling soup in order to make small egg dumplings. Spices can be added to the egg-flour mixture according to taste.

A similar recipe exists in Polish cuisine (kluski lane, lit. 'poured noodles'), with the egg-flour mixture either poured directly into soup, or into boiling water, then strained and added to a soup or sauce. For children, often simmering milk (optionally with sugar) is used in place of soup.

In Russia, semolina is usually boiled in the chicken stock before the eggs are whisked in for the more substantial fare, and flavored with chopped scallion and black pepper. A simple egg dough dumplings similar to lazy vareniki (варе́ники) or the Ukrainian halušky (галушка) are a frequent addition in the southern regions.

In Cyprus and Greece the egg is beaten and then slowly stirred in the soup so it does not curdle. Lemon and rice are the additional ingredients besides the chicken stock to make avgolemono (αβγολέμονο).