Soups and stews are some of the economical dishes around, as they can bring together small quantities of food and unite their flavours in a harmonious whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
People have probably been making these since the day they developed — or improvised — cooking vessels that could hold liquid, and stand up to the heat.
Soups are also an ideal dish for sharing, and can easily feed a bunch of people, however big or small your crowd.
See also: Soups (main entry), Stews (main entry), Pasta for soup, Stewing beef, Stewing pork, Homemade soup day