I've only had the carrot-ginger soup, and I liked that. Joe's Restaurant in Venice made a very good version of that before they closed.

When I use carrots in soup, they are generally not the main ingredient, but I do add them to split pea and lentil soups.

You might consider making a version of carrot soup that resembles carrot cake and add cinnamon to it instead of fenugreek. I think I would like nutmeg or cardamom more than I would fenugreek with carrots, and if I added onion, I would sauté it first to bring out its sweetness.

You could also add other root vegetables, such as parsnips.

I like cumin and dried ground coriander.

For the language differences: Do you mean dried ground coriander seeds? Or dried ground coriander leaves (aka cilantro)? (I know either would work. I'm just curious.)

Fresh coriander (cilantro). Or a curried carrot soup. Or a carrot and red lentil soup.

Ginger....cream and a splash of sherry.

Coriander seeds :-)

I'll add dill to the list mainly because of this simple but tasty version from the Silver Palate.

Carrot Dill Soup

4 T. butter
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, leaves included, diced
8 cups chicken stock (homemade or canned)
1/4 cup plus 2 T. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne

For garnish: Creme Fraiche (or sour cream), diced red bell pepper, fresh dill sprigs

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and cook over low heat until wilted, about 10 minutes.

Add carrots, celery, stock, 1/4 cup dill, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until carrots are tender, 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Puree soup with immersion blender in the soup pot...OR, in batches, puree in blender or food processor. Return it to the pot, stir in remaining 2 T. dill and adjust seasonings. Heat through.

Serve each bowl of soup garnished with creme fraiche (or sour cream), sprinkling of red pepper and sprig of dill.

I make mine with fresh ginger and serve with lemon wedges.

I make a carrot soup with carrots, onions, yellow squash, potatoes and chicken broth.. You can add yellow peppers, but I dont bother. The whole family likes it, so that makes it a real success.

I've made a carrot habanero soup for Easter in the past. I love sweet and spicy together!

Oooh! Habanero! I don't like handling them, but there are gloves... That sounds scrumptious, and unexpected.

Well, no habaneros, still. I considered using some leftover grilled jalapeños and serranos I have and decided against. The soup benfitted from a lot of stock and stuff that has been in the fridge since the freezer went on strike (there was a blown relay on the compressor).

In the end it was just lots of carrots, quite a few spring onions, the center of a bunch of cellery, plus the leafy heart of another, and a bunch of flatleaf parsley. But no water. There was green stock, green stock plus chili pepper, chicken foot stock, chicken stock, condensation water from steaming chicken, and maybe half or 2/3 of a cup of corned beef heating liquid which also had been in the freezer. There was plenty enough salt and stuff in the last that no seasoning was required. I left it pea soup thick to freeze. I can smooth further, add cream if desired, etc., when it's time to use. For tonight, I'm thinking of garnishing with toasted radishes.

I was really tired last week, and throwing together some of the surviving freezer bread into a bread puuding, but my thoughts must have still been on the carrot soup. I ended up putting the fenugreek (powdered) in the custard! Also some cardamom, and mace because it plays well with fenugreek, but the dominant flavor was definitely fenugreek. It was actually good (I love fenugreek) but enough to not go that way with the soup.

Thank-you all for your thoughts and favorites.