Drinking bone broth is a growing health food trend spurred on by the recent book Nourishing Broth by Sally Fallon Morrell and Kaayla T. Daniel and popularized by proponents of the paleo diet. Bone broths are prepared by roasting animal bones, often from beef, chicken, or fish, and then simmering them with a few vegetables and herbs to make a simple stock that can be sipped on its own or used as a base for a more complex soup.
There are many health benefits associated with regular consumption of bone broth. It is believed that the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids extracted from bones cannot be found in any other food source, and the health benefits are mostly attributed to the gelatin and collagen in the broth. Some bone broth benefits are that it can help settle the stomach, heal your gut, and help promote good digestion. It fights inflammation, helps build strong bones and joints, inhibits infection, and promotes healthy hair and nail growth.
Bone broths are not really new, of course. Every culture has a deeply nutritious, healing soup with as many variations as there are grandmothers, and these soups usually rely on a bone broth. Here are a few traditional bone broth based soups from around the world for you to try in your own kitchen.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Not to knock Campbell’s, but nothing beats a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup when you are feeling under the weather. The broth is often made by simmering chicken bones with carrots, celery and onions along with an herb or two, skimming off the fat, adding some meat and egg noodles, and voila, soup’s on. Popular variations include the addition of different kinds of noodles, a unique spice or two, and some people adore adding hot sauce to their soup for an extra sinus-clearing kick.
Pho
Spicy and delicious with many variations, the Vietnamese noodle soup called pho often starts with a bone broth made from beef, chicken, or fish bones. The broth is flavored with star anise, black cardamom, cinnamon, roasted ginger, roasted onion, coriander, fennel seed, and cloves. The deep, sweet broth is served with rice noodles, raw meat and seafood that cook in the broth, vegetables and topped with basil, lime, and bean sprouts. Many pho fans enjoy stirring in some hot Sriracha sauce, soy sauce, or fish sauce, depending on their taste.
Matzo Ball Soup
Also known as Jewish penicillin, matzo ball soup often starts with a chicken bone broth and further layers of flavor and richness are added with cooked chicken meat, nourishing vegetables, and medicinal herbs. Then, of course, come the matzo balls, made from matzo meal, chicken fat skimmed from the broth, eggs, and salt. The ingredients are mixed together by hand, shaped into palm-sized dumplings, and cooked in the soup to create soft, comforting, fluffy clouds of deliciousness.
French Onion Soup
French onion soup is a classic, and recipes often use a beef bone broth as the base. The broth is made with beef bones, parsnips, carrots, onions, celery, and herbs for flavor. The broth is strained, the fat skimmed, and the rich, nutritious liquid is added to caramelized onions and garlic fried with herbes de Provence. White wine, sherry, and hot pepper sauce are added, and the whole mixture is simmered. To serve, French onion soup is ladled into an oven-safe bowl and topped with buttered toast and Gruyere cheese which is melted under the broiler before serving to create a cheesy, delicious crust.
Menudo
Often touted as a hangover cure, menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made with a beef bone broth and featuring tripe (cow’s stomach), cow’s feet, and lots of chilies. The bone broth is prepared as usual by simmering roasted beef marrow bones with garlic, onion, and Mexican oregano for flavor. Tripe is added and cooked in the broth along with guajillo peppers and more garlic, and the final soup is served with lemons, oregano, onions, and eaten with fresh corn tortillas.
You can reap the benefits of bone broth while eating your way around the world. Give each recipe a try, and find the variation you like the best. Bone broth-based soups like chicken noodle, Vietnamese pho, French onion, and Mexican menudo will help you feel better when you are down by providing you with lots of vitamin B and other essentials, minerals like calcium, and proteins and amino acids from the collagen and gelatin.