| Winter, as everyone knows, is cold and flu season. When people get sick, often the first thing they think of is chicken soup. In the Jewish community, using chicken soup to address illness is so common that comedians often refer to chicken soup as “Jewish penicillin.” Everyone has their own favorite recipe, with or without kneidlach (matzah balls), either clear or with some favorite vegetables, and with chicken or just its broth. However, we make it, the association between the Jewish people and chicken soup is firmly fixed in our minds and in the minds of the rest of the world.
Did you know, however, that chicken soup came to us, not from the ancient land of Israel but from early China? According to food historian and columnist, Joan Nathan (sometimes called the Jewish ‘Julia Child’), chicken soup predates Judaism by thousands of years. According to her, chickens were the first domesticated in China between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago. It was there, she adds, that chicken soup probably began as a chicken immersed in cold water in a clay pot and placed over hot coals.
From China, the soup spread westward, gaining devotees as people shared recipes and tried it themselves. The first historical reference to chicken soup comes from a Greek army surgeon in the first century C.E. who discusses the healthy properties of the soup in a treatise on ancient medicine. Later, in the 12th century, the Jewish doctor and scholar Maimonides (also known as the Rambam) wrote a book on the causes of symptoms of illness in which he recommended chicken soup as a potent remedy for a whole host of sicknesses. According to the Rambam, chicken soup helped with fevers, coughs, depression and leprosy. The soup was, in his opinion, even a cure for the common cold! The Rambam’s recommendation nearly a thousand years ago may explain, at least in part, why chicken soup is today one of the most iconic of all Jewish foods.
Today, you can find many different recipes for Jewish chicken soup. From the classic Ashkenazi soup made with water, chicken, onions, carrots, celery, dill, parsley, and an occasional parsnip, to Yemenite chicken soup made with turmeric, chili peppers, fenugreek, dill, parsley and cilantro to Persian abgoosht made with cardamom, bell peppers and chickpea dumplings. Each Jewish community has its own common version, and each family has its own favorite variations. No matter how we make chicken soup, this is the season for enjoying a hot bowl of chicken soup, even if (or especially because) you’re feeling under the weather and chicken soup is just what the doctor ordered (Even if he lived almost a thousand years ago)! |
