Chicken Soup – The Jewish Penicillin

It’s about time I pay homage to the food that has shown its face in Jewish cuisine for centuries.

Chicken soup.

Some like to call it the Jewish Penicillin. Jewish mothers around the world take pride in cooking up this aromatic broth. A Friday afternoon is not the same without its’ smell pervading through the house. It even has a book named after it, “Chicken soup for the  soul”.

A little bit of history...

Soup in itself has a rich history. It utilizes one of the most basic forms of cooking – combining a bunch of foods in a pot with water to create a nutritious and filling meal with minimal effort. Easy to make, easy to digest, inexpensive – it’s no wonder soups have existed through the ages. But how did Chicken soup creep into the  Jewish traditional Friday night menu? It seems to be something we all take for granted..

To start off, there is no law in the Torah (Bible) that states we must eat chicken soup on Friday night. In fact, I’ve had Friday night dinners with pumpkin soup, corn soup, veggie soup, cold mango soup, and…you guessed it – NO SOUP AT ALL. For someone like me who has a tendency of spilling soup over myself and any other victims in proximity, it’s probably a wise idea.

Secondly, it’s not all Jews that have chicken soup on Friday night, only those with a European or Ashkenazi background.

Thirdly and finally, it seems the answer is pretty simple. The meal on Shabbat technically should involve some form of hot meat. In their thrifty nature, when Jews would cook chicken for the Friday night meal instead of discarding the bones, they would turn it into a delicious and nutritious soup. Practically speaking, soup is also easily kept warm, which is fitting for Friday night where foods cannot be heated up directly.

A Spot of Nutrition…

How did chicken soup merit it’s healing properties, analogous to penicillin?

The chicken soup-medicinal phenomena began in the 12^th century, where the Rambam (Maimonides) recommended the broth of hens and other fowl to “neutralize body constitution”. He claimed that chicken soup was curative for leprosy and asthma.

Chicken soup doesn’t have one secret ingredient, it is the combination of its ingredients that makes it so special. A typical chicken soup would include chicken (surprising, I know) with it’s bones, carrots, celery, onions, herbs (e.g. parsley, dill) and spices (salt, pepper).

Nowadays, one of chicken soups more common claimed healing powers is its effect on the common cold.

A study done on the benefits of chicken soup found that some components in the soup have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may result in reducing the symptoms of a cold. Many claim it also prevents sore throats and phlegm production, through the production of an amino acid called “cysteine”. It would seem that the Jewish mothers were onto something...

While many think of the traditional soup to be laden with fat globules on the surface, you can easily skim the congealed fat off once the soup has cooled down. The carrots in the soup contain high amounts of Vitamin A, which is useful for night vision. Unlike vegetable soups, chicken soup has a high protein content which is great for muscle development and strength. Interestingly enough, the bones from the chicken may increase the calcium content of the soup. Why drink milk if you can have a cup of chicken soup?

NOTE: Please do not replace chicken soup for milk, it probably doesn’t go well with Weetbix. I do know a certain somebody that used to take much delight in eating rice bubbles (or rice crispies for any Americans) with his chicken soup. Needless to say, I did not take up such a custom.

Shivat Ha'minim - The Seven Species

 In Jew-ville, we have seven types of grains and fruits and that I like to call the Shivat Ha’minim ­– in English, the 7 species. It also happens to be that the Torah (Bible) has the same label for them. These fruits and grains are the main produce of Israel and back in the ancient biblical times they were staples in the Israelite diet. They also played an important role in Jewish religion. During the times of the Temple, only the first fruits of these 7 species could be brought as offerings. These were known as the Bikkurim.

Fast forward to 2011. The seven species remain important, but do not dominate Israel produce like they used to. We do however have a tradition to enjoy the Shivat ha’minim on the holiday of Tu B’shvat. Tu B’shvat marks the New Year or the birthday of the trees, where they begin their fruit-bearing cycle. Many people celebrate this festival with a “seder” (not uncommon to the Passover seder), or a meal consisting of the 7 species..

And now to introduce these notorious 7 species..

** I can even provide a quote with a source (Deuteronomy/Dvarim 8:8) that cites Israel was “a land of wheat, barley, grapevines, figs, and pomegranates; a land of oil olives and date honey." **

Below each species is a little funky nutrition fact.

First up we have:

·         Wheat (chitah):

Whole wheat flour or white flour? It’s ironic that although whole wheat is healthier for us because it has undergone less processing and contains more vitamins and minerals, it is more expensive than its cousin – plain, white, flour which actually requires more processing, and therefore more labour. Just goes to show you that if we all start eating whole wheat, the demand will increase and the price will go down…one day we will get there..

·         Barley (se'orah)

Low GI. A topical area in the world of nutrition today – glycaemic index. And barley does in fact, have a low glycaemic index (25, where a GI of less than 55 is good)! Which is great news! Low glycaemic index means that the sugars in the food are broken down and released into your blood nice and slowly, so that you should stay full for a longer amount time. Remember this next time you are adding barley to a cholent..

·         Grapes (gefen), usually consumed as wine

Grapes contain an anti-oxidant called resveratrol. It comes along with a whole heap of benefits including protective effects against cancers of colon and prostate, coronary heart disease (CHD), degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease and viral/ fungal infections. Powerful stuff.

·         Figs (te'enah)

Oddly enough, figs are quite rich in calcium. In 100 grams of dried figs, you will get about 162 mg of calcium – that’s the amount of calcium in half a cup of milk. Try not to over consume on the dried figs though, you may find yourself running to the WC.

·         Pomegranates (rimon)

Awesome all-round nutritional powerhouses. Packed with fibre, Vitamin C, anti-oxidants and has been known to fight diseases like prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

·         Olives (zayit), usually consumed in oil form

While olives are high in fat (about 80-85% of the calories in olives are from fat), it’s the good sort. Majority of the fat in olives is from oleic acid – which is a mono-unsaturated fat. In English, this fat helps with reducing the risk of heart disease by lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol levels in our body and decrease blood pressure.

·         Dates (tamar or d'vash)

Deliciously decadent dates. It’s amazing to think that despite their lavish, rich flavour they still have a lot on offer (nutritiously). They’ve quite famous for their laxative effect in assisting with constipation. They also contain a substance called “tannins” which have been known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties. They have a considertable amount of iron (0.9mg/100g). That being said, the iron derived from plants (known as non-heme iron) doesn’t get absorbed as easily as the iron from animal products (heme iron), so try not to rely on this as your primary source of iron.

There appears to be an “8^th species” – almonds. They are sortof an unofficial part of the seven species because they are closely related to Tu B’shvat. Almond trees are abundant in Israel and happen to bloom around the time of this festival. As a result they are often eaten together with the other members of the Shivat Ha’minim.

 

And that’s a wrap.

Shakshouka (shakshuka, shaqshuqa, chakchouka): North African dish consisting of poached or fried eggs cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices (often including cumin, turmeric, and chillies), and usually served with white bread

And my obsession with Israeli food continues...

What came first, the Shuk or the Shakshouka? There is hardly a café in Israel that doesn’t include a bit of shakshouka  on the menu. But today was one of those days where I felt like cooking it up myself. With summer having well and truly bid farewell and winter creeping up on us, I think it is time for something to warm up our hearts and spice up our spirits with this hearty dish.

A little bit of history..

The literal translation of shakshuka means “all mixed up”. Say it a few times over aloud. Seriously entertaining.

The dish is mainly made up of eggs, poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions and spiced with cumin, salt, pepper and whatever else you fancy. Originally coming from countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Morocco it became popular in Israel from the Tunisian Jews.  Some people believe the dish was invented in the Ottoman Empire and spread throughout the Middle East – often served with a spicy sausage. Yummy yummy.

Two important rules come hand in hand with shakshouka

1)      It must be served in a cast iron pan that it was made in - for the authentic look

2)      Use bread to mop up the sauce

That’s it.

Apparently there's this new version out there called Chamshouka. When I first heard about this, I thought it was chummus mixed with shakshouka. It appears I was wrong. It happens to be a dish made of beef, nuts, onions and garlic. In the more hipster café’s, they also offer an option of “green” shakshouka. Sounds scary? Have no fear, it uses spinach to give it a green colour. I prefer the traditional version…

A Spot of Nutrition...

my home-made version

It happens to the best of us. Ordering Shakshouka for breakfast – BIG MISTAKE. Despite that being the popular option in this country, your body will not thank you for it. Too much oil, too early in the day. However, making your own shakshuka could be a really healthy meal. Here’s a few tips on how to DIY shakshuka the healthy way

1. If you have high cholesterol and are trying to cut back on the eggs, try using the egg whites only – or have one egg yolk and 2 egg whites.
2. Try and use a minimal amount of oil – even if it is a healthy oil, like olive oil or canola oil, oil is oil and oil is fat and fat will usually make you fat (if you have too much of it). So spray a little on the pan before you fry the onions, or if you’re using liquid oil just pour a little to cover the pan.
3. Take this opportunity to bump up your veggie intake. Ever heard of the recommendation of having 5 vegetables and 2 fruits a day? You could definitely squeeze in 2 or 3 vegetables in this one dish – besides for using the classic tomatoes and peppers, you could also throw in sweet potato, carrots, eggplant, zucchini – or anything really if you’re feeling adventurous. The other cool thing to know is that when tomatoes are cooked, they release a compound called “lycopene”, an antioxidant that will help our bodies fight off disease. So you actually get more nutrition out of cooked tomatoes, over raw tomatoes.
4. Eat slowly – because the dish is hot, it makes it easier to enjoy it nice and slowly. It also helps with making you feel full.
5. Eat with whole meal or wholegrain bread (skip the butter) and you get a full meal – eggs, vegetables and bread – what more could you want in life? Sprinkle some cheese on top for some bonus calcium.
6. Refer to previous blogpost on eggs: http://rantingsfromaranga.blogspot.com/2011/03/egg-roundish-reproductive-body-produced.html for more info on the nutrition they offer

Shakshouka from Marakiya