Olive oil in soup: one pour at the end

Across the Mediterranean and the Middle East, soup is rarely served without a pour of olive oil over it. It is not decoration — it changes how the soup tastes, and it is done at the last moment for a good reason.

Why the timing matters

The compounds that give olive oil its aroma are volatile — they turn to vapour at relatively low temperatures. That is why you can smell them. It is also why simmering them in soup for half an hour drives off nearly all of them.

Pour the oil once the heat is off and the soup is in the bowl. The residual heat is enough to release the aroma — you will smell it immediately — but not sustained enough to destroy it.

What it does to the soup

• Adds an aroma you meet before the first spoonful
• Gives a fuller feel in the mouth, especially in thin vegetable soups
• Adds a light peppery note that balances sweet soups like pumpkin or carrot
• Puts a sheen on the surface, which simply looks better

The soups it suits best

• Lentil or chickpea soup — the traditional pairing, and the oil adds depth
• Pumpkin or carrot soup, where the pungency balances the sweetness
• Tomato soup, where the oil's green note suits the acidity
• Clear vegetable soups, which often need something to give them body
• Rice porridge, with a teaspoon stirred through
• Chicken soup, particularly a light one

How much

A teaspoon per bowl is enough. Pour it in a circle across the surface rather than as a single pool in the middle — it spreads better and the flavour is more even.

Porridge and children's food

The same rule applies, and for an added reason. Porridge is an easy place to introduce olive oil to a small child, because its creamy texture coats the peppery note and makes it less noticeable.

Start with half a teaspoon, stirred in once the heat is off, and build up gradually over a few weeks if they take to it.

We make no health or nutrition claims for children. For a baby's first foods or any health condition, speak to your doctor or a dietitian.

One common mistake

Do not use old or flat-tasting olive oil for this. Cooked into a soup, weak oil disappears unnoticed; as a final pour it is the first thing you taste. Use a recently opened bottle.