Sopa de Lima

We all link food to memories, the first time we taste something fantastic lingers. Everytime you then create the dish, the smells and flavours send you straight back. For me the first time I had Sopa de Lima, it was love at first mouthful.

It was rainy season in the Yucatan, you could set your watch by the downpour. We were staying in a tiny little hotel just outside Chichen Itza. The restaurent was a patio covered with an awning and the menu choices were limited, yet all the food was delicious. There was something romantic about sitting there with rain pouring off the canopy drinking ice cold beer.

The soup came in chipped china bowls, but its smell was captivating, so fresh and tasty. Now everytime I need a comforting chicken soup, its Sopa de Lima with its healthy burst of vitamin C I crave. Like all great soups there are many variations on the recipe. Every restaurent and family in the Yucatan seems to have their own unique spin on the dish, some use turkey, some use chicken, some add lemons. 

Over the next few dull grey winter months I intend trying a few of the them, plus adding a touch or two of my own, recreating the heat and the feel of those months in Mexico.