Food Focus: Healing Stocks and Broths

A simmering pot of stock on the stovetop was a staple in households across Europe and America 100 years ago.  Very simple yet richly healing, stock is made from animal bones (chicken, beef, or fish), vinegar, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, water, and most importantly, time.  It can be used as the base for soups, sauces, and gravy, or even enjoyed by itself at the first sign of a cold.  Stock heralds the days when nothing went to waste, when every piece of animal was sold by the butcher.  Stock is an economical way to get nourishing minerals, vitamins, gelatin among other nutrients from what is typically considered waste.  The vinegar pulls minerals from bones, so that, unlike squirrels and other rodents, we don’t have to gnaw the bones.  Bones also contain gelatin. While most people today are familiar with gelatin’s role creating Jell-o fruit desserts, gelatin has a long history of soothing the intestines, calming colds, assisting with digestion, and healing illness.  Fish stock is particularly helpful for supporting the thyroid.  Beef stock is a dark and rich broth that, while a bit more time intensive to make, is full of nutrients, gelatin, and flavor.  And chicken stock, known by some as “Jewish penicillin,” is indispensible for the winter season.  

An easy way to prepare to make stock is to save bones from chicken dishes. Next time you bake chicken, whether it is a whole chicken or legs, throw the bones into a plastic freezer bag.  Keep adding to them until you have a pound or two.  Then you’re ready to create the base for most French culinary masterpieces! 

Here's a fabulous recipe for Healing Chicken Stock.

Local cuisine and outside influences...

I was recently traveling in Sweden and Norway.  I don’t travel abroad as often as I did in my 20s (sigh) but when I do, I make a point of trying the local foods.  What culinary gems are offered by world cultures?  I was in Iceland nearly 11 years ago where we ate lots of herring (pickled, smoked, you name it), lamb, fish, and fresh seafood.  I expected something similar from Iceland’s Scandinavian siblings.  I was not disappointed: fresh fish, reindeer, Swedish meatballs were accompanied by lingonberries and endless potato salad.  Every meal I had was flavorful, fresh, and presented artfully on the plate.  I was always surprised, however, to see how ubiquitous the American contributions to the waistline were.  Not nearly in the density as in the U.S., but the options were there.  Swedes and Norwegians gulped down American soft drinks, dined at American fast food restaurants, and one of the largest restaurants on the Oslo waterfront is an American restaurant chain that has all but disappeared in the Denver area! (Hint: it’s named for the last day of the workweek.)  Why couldn’t we export the good and healthful food ideas the U.S. offers?  Maybe because when people think about American food, the first images that come to mind are fast food, drive thrus, hamburgers, and convenience?  I wanted to tell the diners at these establishments, “Don’t eat there, don’t be like us!  The U.S. leads the world in heart disease and obesity rates because of the crap food we eat.”  But they know, in their heart of hearts, just as you know, that eating nutrient-poor food doesn’t build great health.  It’s the acting on this knowledge that’s key.  Healthy food and traditions don’t have to be tasteless, plain, or fat-free.  My hope is that the siesta of Spain (a rest following a long lunch) and the lengthy French noontime meal will endure in their respective countries, and that those customs of self-care and enjoyment of food will be embraced by other cultures, including the U.S.

In the meantime, I’ll keep scoping out the slowly prepared, delicious dishes that regions and cultures have to offer.