Throughout the entirety of this article, we’ll be putting an end to one of life’s greatest debates: Is cereal a soup? The answer is No. Why? Because cereal is grains of wheat or other ingredients which are typically eaten for breakfast with milk.
Some people also eat cereal dry, and without milk. On the other hand, soup can’t be eaten without liquid, unlike cereal. Soup typically consists of liquid and is consumed warm with vegetables and/or meat.
Additionally, another difference is that the liquid from the soup is used as a broth which is flavored from its ingredients. These ingredients range from herbs to vegetables, and even the meat itself.
Conversely, cereal is just cereal. In other words, it is used in conjunction with milk in order to give it more moisture. Another reason people have milk with cereal is because of the health benefits; such as calcium and vitamins.
Why Cereal Is Not A Soup
Let’s look further into this debate by comparing some definitions of the two, it also may be useful to look at why many people do indeed consider cereal as a soup and try to understand it from their perspective, as crazy as they may sound.
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of cereal is:
“any plant of the grass family yielding an edible grain, such as wheat, rye, oats, rice, or corn.”
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of soup is:
“a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, or vegetables with various added ingredients.”
Thirdly, according to Merriam-Webster.com, the definition of soup is:
“a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food”
Next, let’s compare the two definitions and come to a conclusion to why cereal is not a soup.
Firstly, starting with the definition of cereal; which refers to plants, and edible grains. There’s never been any sort of soup that contains rice, or oats. Furthermore, you’d do well to find a grain within a soup, as soups typically comprise chopped meat and vegetables.
Secondly, the definition of soup. Let’s talk about how soup is a liquid food, on the other hand, cereal is in no way whatsoever a liquid food. Cereal is solid, and soup is liquid with small bits of meat, which are solid, but usually very small.
Similarly, you would never make cereal by boiling, or in fact, cooking at all. You simply pour the pieces of cereal into a bowl, add milk, and voila – you’re ready to eat it. Quite honestly, I can’t even believe this is a debate topic and it’s surprisingly one with great controversy.
Finally, soup is a liquid food with vegetable, meat, or fish stock as its base, whereas cereal is not.
Why People Think Cereal is a Soup
Believe it or not, many people do think that cereal is indeed a soup. Despite having half-decent arguments as to why it is a “soup” food, it’s still not enough to sway my opinion on this one.
One point they make is that cereal and soup are both eaten with “soup” spoons. Granted, they are. But Soup spoons, really? A spoon can be used to eat a plethora of things, soup being among them. Things such as rice, pasta, casseroles, yogurt, beans, all of these things are eaten with a spoon besides cereal and soup.
Therefore, this is not a valid argument.
Another argument is that “Cereal is a liquid-based food which contains a solid component”, and the same applies to the soup. This is a load of drivel! The same can be applied to milkshakes, especially more modern ones made from chocolate bars, which contain bits that haven’t been blended entirely. These milkshakes are definitely not soup either.
In fact, I have not ever seen a fully valid argument that suggests that cereal is a soup. Everything points towards the contrary, and up until recently stumbling upon an article online, I never knew this was a thing.
Is Cereal A Salad?
I’ve also often seen this question online recently, and I can’t believe that it’s even being asked. Apparently, the milk is the dressing. Let’s set this in motion, salad is a dish that contains vegetables, which are sometimes accompanied by cheese, meat, such as ham, fruit such as tomatoes. Many people have eggs and coleslaw with their salad too.
There are also many salad variants too, such as fruit salad or pasta salad. Typically all regular salads have vegetables and are marinated in dressing, oil, or vinegar. I guess you could have a cereal salad if we’re going to put it like that, maybe have some caesar dressing with your Weetabix?
On that basis, cereal is neither a soup nor salad. Cereal is just cereal.
Is A Hotdog a Sandwich?
This is another one that I’ve seen online and can be relative to the cereal vs soup question. The difference on this one is that a sandwich is a filling that is held together by two pieces of bread. The filling is the hotdog, and the bread being the bun of course. On this occasion, the definition adds up.
Therefore, a hotdog can be considered a sandwich. The difference here is that the definitions didn’t match with the cereal vs soup debate, and when you think about it there’s nothing much to even spark a debate in that regard.
I guess the only similarities between cereal and soup is that it can be eaten in a bowl, with a spoon, and that it’s liquid form, but only if you have the cereal with milk. There’s really not much in this.
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Cereal and Soup That We Recommend
Post Fruity PEBBLES Breakfast Cereal
Get yourself a pack of 12 Fruity Pebbles in just one click. These delicious bad boys work perfectly for breakfast, and can even be added with yogurt, and even ice cream. You won’t see that happening anytime soon with soup. It’s also gluten-free and still tastes amazing!
Lipton Soup Secrets Instant Soup Mix
Enjoy great-tasting soup in 5 minutes, warm and without milk (unlike cereal). I swear by this soup and let me tell you, it’s nothing like cereal. It’s made with real chicken broth and the taste is divine. This is also another great value pack that comes to your door in a pack of 24.
