Broth can be a great way to experiment with cooking. Add to recipes or eat as it is. Whether you’re a broth lover or just want to know more, you’re in the right place. We take a look into what broth is, its health benefits, how to make it, and answer some questions you may have about broth.
What Is Broth?
Broth is a water-based savoury liquid, made from simmering bones, meat, or vegetables. Broth can be eaten alone, but it is often made to be added to soups and sauces.
Broth used to mean only meat-based liquids, but now the term refers more generally to any water-based liquid made by simmering meat, bones, or vegetables.
Using bones produces a liquid called stock, and using meat or vegetables is a broth. Using bones creates a thicker liquid (stock), while broth tends to be thinner and more flavourful.
Is Broth The Same As Bouillon?
Yes, broth and bouillon are the same thing. Broth, bouillon, and stock are essentially all the same thing. When meat, bones, vegetables and often added herbs, are simmered in water the resulting liquid is called broth (using meat or vegetables) or stock (using bones) in English, brodo in Italian, and bouillon in French.
So yes, broth is the English word, and boullion is the French word.
Why Is It Called Bone Broth?
Bone broth is called bone broth because it is made from bones. Bones and connective tissue are simmered in water, often for hours on end. The bone broth is often added to soups and gravies. Bone broth is really a stock, because it is made from the bones of animals rather than just meat.
Bone broth has regained popularity as a health drink too.
You can make bone broth from the bones and connective tissue from just about any animal. Marrow and connective tissues like feet, hooves, beaks, gizzards, or fins can also be used. It’s a great way of making use out of all parts of an animal.
To make bone broth you can follow recipes, but all you really need is a large pot, water, seasoning, and bones.
Want to make broth yourself? Try our healthy broth recipes to add a great balanced diet option for the whole family. Whether meat or vegetable based, we’ve got you covered.
Health Benefits Of Broth
In general, bone broth (stock) is very nutritious and contains lots of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients will vary depending on the ingredients you use in your broth.
Animal bones are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and other trace minerals. These nutrients are great for helping us build strong and healthy bones too. They can help to promote joint health, and provide essential amino acids.
Broth can also help your digestive organs. Broth itself is easy to digest, and the nutrients we can get from the gelatin in meat-based broths help to promote healthy intestines. Drinking bone broth may be a good option for people with leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Broth is typically very low in calories, but it can still satisfy hunger. Whether you need warming up on a cold day, or want a healthy, filling meal to keep you going, broth is a great option. Broth may help you tackle feelings of fullness, maintain lean muscle mass, and help you lose weight over time.
What Is Better For You, Stock or Broth?
While broth and stock are almost the same thing. They differ slightly in nutritional value. Stock commonly refers to bone-based liquid, and broth to meat or vegetable-based.
In general, broth has about half the calories as stock. Stock tends to contain more carbs, fat and protein than broth, but it also has more vitamins and minerals.
Adding vegetables and herbs to either stock or broth can increase the vitamin and mineral content and make it better for you.
As a general rule, broth is less fatty and calorific than stock, but it may contain fewer specific nutrients.
Shop Broth
At Mindful Chef, we love broth, both meat-based and vegan. We have a variety of broth options available to buy in our shop.
Our nutrient-rich, flavoursome broth options have been crafted by our chefs in partnership with Borough Broth Co using the finest free-range organic ingredients, then frozen from fresh.
Enjoy on their own as a warming pick-me-up, or use in your cooking to add maximum flavour and nutrients.
We have a vegan broth available in two flavours:
Organic Miso and Ginger, and Organic Miso, Mushroom, Seaweed & Edamame.
We have a meat-based broth available in four flavours:
Free-range Organic Chicken with Vegetables, Free-range Organic Chicken Bone Broth, Beef Bone Broth and Organic Beef Pho Broth with Noodles and Vegetables
If you want to try all of our broth options, they are available as a Broth Taster Bundle. You’ll get 2 portions of each broth flavour, for you to sip, stir, and serve. Healthy eating, made easy. What could be better?
Yet to try healthy eating made easy? Get £10 off your first two healthy recipe boxes by entering code BLOG20 at checkout. Mindful Chef healthy recipe boxes provide you with the tools to cook delicious nutritious meals, in under 30 minutes. Each box contains recipe instructions, pre-portioned ingredients and fresh produce sourced from award-winning British farms.