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A broth prepared from meat and vegetables

A beef broth being cooked

Broth is a savory liquid made of water in which bones, meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered.^[1] It can be eaten alone, but is most commonly used to prepare other dishes such as soups, gravies, and sauces.

Commercially prepared liquid broths are available, typically for chicken broth, beef broth, and vegetable broth. In North America dehydrated meat stock, in the form of tablets, is called a bouillon cube. Industrially produced bouillon cubes were commercialized by Maggi in 1908^[2] and by Oxo in 1910. Using commercially prepared broths allows cooks to save time in the kitchen.

Stock versus broth

Many cooks and food writers use the terms broth and stock interchangeably.^[3][4][5][6] In 1974, James Beard wrote emphatically that stock, broth, and bouillon "are all the same thing".^[7]

While many draw a distinction between stock and broth, the details of the distinction often differ. One possibility is that stocks are made primarily from animal bones, as opposed to meat, and therefore contain more gelatin, giving them a thicker texture.^[5] Another distinction that is sometimes made is that stock is cooked longer than broth and therefore has a more intense flavor.^[8] A third possible distinction is that stock is left unseasoned for use in other recipes, while broth is salted and otherwise seasoned and can be eaten alone.^[9][10]

In Britain, "broth" can refer to a soup which includes solid pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables, whereas "stock" would refer to the purely liquid base.^[11] Traditionally, according to this definition, broth contained some form of meat or fish; however, nowadays it is acceptable to refer to a strictly vegetable soup as a broth.^[12][13]

Bouillon (UK: /ˈbuːjɒ̃, ˈbwiː-/, US: /ˈbʊljɒn/;^[14]French: [bujɔ̃]) is the French word for "broth", and is usually used as a synonym for it.^[3][10]

History

In the late 18th century, Count Rumford (1753–1814) an American born physicist during his service to the Elector of Bavaria, invented and mass-produced a fully nutritious, solidified stock of bones, inexpensive meat by-products and other ingredients. He fed the Elector's army with it. His invention was the precursor of the bouillon cube.

Refining

Broth has been made for many years using the animal bones which, traditionally, are boiled in a cooking pot for long periods to extract the flavor and nutrients.^[15] The bones may or may not have meat still on them.

Egg whites may be added during simmering when it is necessary to clarify (i.e., purify, or refine a broth for a cleaner presentation). The egg whites will coagulate, trapping sediment and turbidity into an easily strained mass. Not allowing the original preparation to boil will increase the clarity.

Roasted bones will add a rich flavor to the broth but also a dark color.

A clarified broth eaten as a soup is often called a consommé.

Cultural distinctions

In East Asia (particularly Japan), a form of kelp called kombu is often used as the basis for broths (called dashi in Japanese).

In the Maldives the tuna broth known as garudiya is a basic food item, but it is not eaten as a soup in the general sense of the term.^[16]

Scientific evidence for health benefits

By 2013, bone broth had become a popular health food trend, due to the resurgence in popularity of dietary fat over sugar, and interest in "functional foods" to which "culinary medicinals" such as turmeric and ginger could be added. Bone broth bars, bone broth home delivery services, and bone broth carts and freezer packs grew in popularity in the United States,^[17] the fad heightened by the 2014 book Nourishing Broth, in which authors Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. Daniel state that the broth's nutrient density has a variety of health effects,^[18][19] including boosting the immune system; improving joints, skin and hair due to collagen content; and promoting healthy teeth and bones due to calcium, magnesium and phosphorus levels.^[20]

However, there is no scientific evidence to support many of the claims made for bone broth. For example, while bone broths do contain collagen, there is no evidence that consuming bone broths improves joint pain or improve skin, because dietary collagen is broken down into amino acids, which become building blocks for body tissues, and is not transported directly to joints or skin in the form in which it is ingested. In addition, the fact that the broth is derived from bone does not mean that therefore it will build bone or prevent osteoporosis, as the bones release very little calcium into the broth when prepared. There is little evidence that the gelatin that they contain functions as a digestive aid. A few small studies have found some possible benefit for chicken broth, such as the clearing of nasal passages. Chicken soup may also reduce inflammation; however, this effect has not been confirmed in controlled studies of adults.^[19][21]

See also

• Canja de galinha


• Bouillon cube


• Dashi


• Ramen


• Rosół


• Scotch broth


• 
  Bouillon, a Haitian soup


• Court-bouillon

References

External links

Look up broth in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• 
  Media related to Broths at Wikimedia Commons