Thanksgiving dinner can be rich, buttery, and deeply comforting, but it can also use a little contrast. A warm soup made with ancient grains brings that balance to the table. It gives the meal something hearty before the turkey, something cozy for vegetarian guests, and something more interesting than the usual bread basket.

A pot of soup may be the closest thing a kitchen has to a time machine. Long before restaurants, written cookbooks, or modern stoves, cooks simmered grains, legumes, bones, herbs, and vegetables into meals that could feed a family from a single fire.