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Soto (also known as sroto, tauto, saoto, or coto) is a traditional Indonesian soup mainly composed of broth, meat, and vegetables. Many traditional soups are called ''soto'', whereas foreign and Western influenced soups are called ''sop''.

Soto is sometimes considered Indonesia's national dish, as it is served from Sumatra to Papua, in a wide range of variations. Soto is omnipresent in Indonesia, available in many ''warungs'' and open-air eateries on many street corners, to fine dining restaurants and luxurious hotels. Soto, especially '' soto ayam'' (chicken soto), is an Indonesian equivalent of chicken soup. Because it is always served warm with a tender texture, it is considered an Indonesian comfort food.

Because of the proximity and significant numbers of Indonesian migrants working and settling in neighbouring countries, soto can also be found in Singapore and Malaysia, and has become a part of their cuisine.

Introduced to Suriname by Javanese migrants, it is part of the national cuisine of that country as well, where it is spelled saoto.

History

In the Indonesian archipelago, soto is known by different names. In the local Javanese dialect, it is called ''soto'', and the dish also reached Makassar where it is called ''coto''. Soto is found to be most prevalent in Java, and suggested that the hearty soup was originated from that island, and over the years this dish branched off in an assorted array of soto varieties.

Although soto was undoubtedly developed in the Indonesian archipelago and each region has developed its own distinctive soto recipes, some historians suggest that it was probably influenced by foreign culinary tradition, especially Chinese. Denys Lombard in his book ''Le Carrefour Javanais'' suggested that the origin of soto was a Chinese soup, ''caudo'' (; literally "Tripe"), popular in Semarang among Chinese immigrants during colonial VOC era, circa 17th century.

Another scholar suggests that it was more likely a mixture of cooking traditions in the region, namely Chinese, Indian, and native Indonesian cuisine. There are traces of Chinese influence such as the use of '' bihun'' (rice vermicelli) and the preference for fried garlic as a condiment, while the use of turmeric suggests Indian influence. Another example is ''soto betawi'' from Jakarta uses ''minyak samin'' (ghee), which indicates Arab or Muslim Indian influences. Another historian suggest that some soto recipe reflects the past condition of its people. ''Soto tangkar'', which today is a meat soup, was mostly made from the broth of goat rib-cage bones ( Betawi:''tangkar'') in the past because meat was expensive, or the common population of Batavia were too poor to afford some meat back then. Soto recipes has been highly localized according to local tradition and available ingredients, for example in Hindu-majority island of Bali, ''soto babi'' (pork soto) can be found, since Hindu Balinese prefer pork while beef is seldom consumed, they also do not shared Indonesian Muslim halal dietary law that forbid the consumption of pork.

The meat soup dish influenced various regions and each developed its own recipes, with the ingredients being highly localized according to available ingredients and local cooking traditions. As a result, rich variants of soto were developed across Indonesia.

In 2018, soto was officially recognised by the Indonesian government as one of the country's five national dishes: the others are nasi goreng, sate, rendang, and gado-gado. Also in 2018, soto is promoted in Asian Festival in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex during 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta as a dish that represent the diversity of Indonesia. With the theme "Unity in Diversoto" presented in the food court, visitors had the opportunity to samples various regional sotos of Indonesia, thus it has become visitors' favourite in Asian Festival during 2018 Asian Games.

Varieties

The spread of soto in Indonesian archipelago was followed by the localization of Soto's recipe, according to available ingredients and distinctive local taste. As the result, myriad soto recipes and variations can be found throughout Indonesia.

By regions

Some sotos are named based on the town or region where they are created:
* ''Soto Ambon'' – made of chicken and broth, flavoured and coloured with turmeric, ginger, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, and loads of spices. Served with rice, the toppings are blanched bean sprouts, shredded chicken, vermicelli, chopped celery leaves, golden fried shallots, fried potato sticks, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), hot sauce, and potato croquettes.
* ''Soto Bandung'' – a clear beef soto that has pieces of meat, white radish, and fried soybeans.
* ''Soto Banjar'' – spiced with star anise, clove, cassia and lemongrass, and sour hot sambal, served with potato cakes.
* ''Soto Banjarnegara'' or ''soto Krandegan'' – a beef soto in a yellow coconut milk soup and eaten with ketupat.
* ''Soto Banyumas'', ''sroto Banyumas'' or ''sroto Sokaraja'' – made special by its peanut sambal, usually eaten with ketupat.
* ''Soto Banyuwangi'' or ''rujak soto'' – a beef soto with beef tripe, vegetables, peanut sauce, and beef broth.
* ''Soto Betawi'' – made of beef or beef offal, cooked in a cow milk or coconut milk broth, with fried potato and tomato.
* ''Soto Blora'', or ''soto klethuk'' – there are shredded chicken, bean sprouts, vermicelli, eggs, fried onions, and the most important thing is ''klethuk'' (cassava cut into small squares, then fried until really crisp and golden brown in color)
* ''Soto Kebumen'' also known as soto Tamanwinangun – a duck soto in peanut-based broth.
* ''Soto Kediri'' – a chicken soto in coconut milk.
* ''Soto Kudus'' – made with water buffalo meat due to local taboos of the consumption of beef.
* ''Soto Lamongan'' – a popular street food in various Indonesian metropolitan areas, a variation of the Madura soto.
* ''Soto Madura'' or ''soto Sulung/soto Ambengan'' – made with either chicken, beef or offal, in a yellowish transparent broth.
* ''Soto Makassar'' or '' coto Makassar'' – a beef and offal soto boiled in water used to wash rice, with fried peanut.
* ''Soto Medan'' – a chicken/pork/beef/prawn/innards soto with added coconut milk and served with potato croquette ( perkedel). The meat pieces are fried before being served or mixed. The spice is similar to soto Betawi with addition of cardamom.
* ''Soto Pacitan'' – chicken soto in light spicy soup, served with beansprouts, rice vermicelli, cabbages, celery, fried shallot, and fried peanuts.
* ''Soto Padang'' – a beef broth soto with slices of fried beef, bihun (rice vermicelli), and perkedel kentang (fried mashed potato).
* ''Soto Pekalongan'' or ''tauto Pekalongan'' – spiced with '' tauco'' (a fermented miso-like bean paste).
* ''Soto Semarang'' – a chicken soto spiced with candlenut, mixed with rice, perkedel, tempe, and often eaten with ''sate kerang'' (cockles on a stick) or tripes and quail eggs. One of the pioneers of Soto Semarang is ''Soto Bangkong'', named after Bangkong crossroad in Semarang.
* ''Soto Solo ''also known as ''soto kwali'' – in Javanese and Indonesian language ''kwali'' or ''kuali'' means "cauldron". This beef brisket soto in clear beef broth soup served with beansprouts, celery and '' bawang goreng''.
* ''Soto Sumedang'' or ''soto bongko'' – a soto consists of ''bongko'' (rice cake), tofu, chayote, and bean sprouts in a coconut milk soup.
* ''Soto Tegal'' or ''Sauto Tegal'', almost same with Pekalongan soto spiced with '' tauco'' (a fermented miso-like bean paste). Sauto can be chicken soto, beef soto, or even beef offal.
* ''Soto Ungaran'' or ''soto gudangan Ungaran'', a beef soto rice with veggies and grated coconut.

By primary ingredient

Other sotos are named based upon their chief ingredient:
* '' Soto ayam'' – chicken in a yellow spicy broth with '' lontong'', ''nasi empit'', '' ketupat'' (rice compressed by cooking wrapped tightly in a leaf, then sliced into small cakes), or vermicelli, commonly found in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Some versions are prepared with cellophane noodles., boiled eggs, lime juice and beansprouts
* ''Soto babat'' – a cow's or goat's tripe, served in yellow spicy coconut milk soup with vermicelli, potato, and vegetables, usually eaten with rice. It is commonly found throughout Indonesia.
* ''Soto babi'' – a pork soto from Hindu majority Bali island.
* ''Soto bebek'' – a duck soto, specialty of Klaten, Central Java.
* ''Soto ceker'' – a chicken foot soto, served in rather clear yellowish spicy broth soup, which uses spices including shallot, garlic, lemongrass, and turmeric that add the yellowish colour, served with of cabbage, celery, rice noodles, and garnished to taste with '' sambal'', lime and soy. ''Soto ceker'' is one of the popular street food in Jakarta, Bali, and most of major cities in Java. In street side ''warung'' or humble restaurants, ''soto ceker'' is usually offered as a variation of ''soto ayam''.
* ''Soto kaki'' (lit. "foot soto") – made of beef cow's trotters; tendon and cartilage taken from cow's feet, served in yellow spicy coconut milk soup with vermicelli, potato, vegetables, and krupuk, commonly eaten with rice. It is a Betawi food and can be found in Jakarta, Indonesia.
* ''Soto kerbau'' – made of water buffalo meat instead of beef, specialty of Kudus regency, Central Java.
* ''Soto lenthok'' – a specialty of Yogyakarta which is chicken soto served with ''lenthok'' or fried mashed cassava akin to potato '' perkedel''.
* '' Soto mi'' (spelled ''mee soto'' in Singapore and Malaysia) – a yellow spicy beef or chicken broth soup with noodles, commonly found in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Bogor