Chicken soup is a great, therapeutic soup that many people eat when they have a cold. It is not known if it is a myth that the soup cures a cold or nourishes your body, but most people feel that it does. The soup is made in all cultures and is considered comfort food. There are several varieties and it can be made with many different ingredients.
History
Chicken soup was thought to be a cure for colds as far back as ancient Egypt, where it was actually prescribed by doctors, some historians say. Throughout the ages the soup has spread to all continents including the Americas, Europe and Africa. It has evolved and taken on many forms to fit the cultures that have adopted it.
Types
There are many types of chicken soup but the most common is a clear broth soup with egg noodles, bits of chicken and carrots and celery. This is the most classic form of the soup. Other varieties are chicken and rice soup (similar to clear broth but with rice), creamy chicken soup made with milk and cream, and chicken soup with dumpling, which consists of creamy or clear broth soup with biscuit dumplings on top.
Function
Chicken soup is mainly just a nourishing, tasty dish. Perhaps it works as a cold remedy due to some properties in the chicken bone marrow, which may be rich in nutrients. The combination of meats and vegetables, along with the hydrating qualities of the soup, could also help. Since the dish is always served hot, the warmth may also help soothe sinuses and ease the pain of a sore throat.
Geography
In Britain chicken soup is also popular but it is usually of the creamy variety and it has fewer vegetables. The clear broth type of chicken soup also has no noodles. In America and Canada, chicken soup almost always has some kind of noodle or rice in it. China has similar chicken broth soups with various roots and flavorings like ginger, ginseng and soy sauce. French chicken soup is flavored with thyme, white wine and garlic and made from bouillon created out of chicken base.
Significance
No matter how you prepare chicken soup, it is a popular dish. It was created out of necessity, however. Chicken soup was made from old hens whose meat is not good for roasting. In the cities where old hens are not plentiful enough, the soup is made from roasting chickens. This results in plumper meat in the soup and a more oily broth.
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