Scientists claim to have confirmed what grandmothers have known for centuries, that chicken soup is good for colds and other ills. Garlic soup is also a well-known cure-all. Next time someone under your roof is knocked out with crud, why not give them a double shot of goodness by making a batch of garlic chicken soup? Mmm.

Soup goes back a long, long way in human history: The archaeological evidence of someone stirring up a pot of soup for a meal dates to around 6000 BC.

Soup is a great starter for almost any meal. It's a comfort food, and, all by itself, makes a perfect meal for a wintry or rainy day--just add some bread and maybe a salad on the side, and the nutritional balance is complete.

One of the best things about soup is that you can make it up in large quantities and freeze the extra to thaw, heat and enjoy at any time. Another suggestion: Add leftover pasta to a favorite soup to bulk it up and make it heartier.

Soup need not be boring--far from it. Cooks are discovering all kinds of creative ways to make it exciting. Undoubtedly, some of the most interesting soup creations today are found on the menus of those bread-and-soup restaurants that are springing up everywhere. When your main offerings are bread and soup, you know you have to go the extra mile to make your menu as enticing as possible!

The other day I went to one of those bread-and-soup places and sipped a cup of tomato basil soup that was one of the most delicious taste experience I've ever had. I knew I had to get the recipe. Fortunately, the manager of this restaurant was happy to oblige me.

You can find many restaurant soup recipes on the Web nowadays; you just have to do a little digging to find the particular one that you encountered the last time you dined out. Or, you can download one of the inexpensive ebooks that are filled with "secret" recipes from America's top restaurants--including those wonderful soups.

Soup is the great culinary comeback story of recent years. Why not enjoy a bowl today?