Okra or Okro soup 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.[1]
Chinese okra soup is a "country style dish often served at family meals".[7]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).
In the United States, the first recipe for okra soup was published in 1824 in the book The Virginia Housewife.[8][9] After this initial publication, okra soup was commonly included in American cookbooks.[8] In the late 1800s, okra soup recipes were commonly published in The New York Times.[10] American okra soup can be prepared using canned, frozen, or fresh okra.[11] It is a traditional soup in
Savannah, Georgia and
Charleston, South Carolina.[12]