Granny’s Superfood: The Good Old Bone Broth

Fermentation and bone broth are similar to the ketogenic diet, which is currently experiencing a renaissance, especially in the United States. Our modern medical knowledge of protein and fat metabolism confirms what could only be suspected in the past: broth is nutritious, good for the gut, and awakens the spirit. But why is that?

The Secret of Nutrition

Marrowbone, cartilage, and periosteum contain collagen, which is converted to gelatin by the heat and gives the soup its flavor, body, and texture. The long cooking process allows the nutrients to develop a special flavor that the Japanese call “kokumi” and the Europeans call “mouthful”. This unique flavor is mainly due to the resulting combination of glutamic acid, fatty acids, minerals and trace elements, and amino acids released by the long cooking process.

So Rich, So Good

Especially in the case of gastrointestinal problems or leaky gut, poorly digested proteins can penetrate the intestinal wall. In this case, the body’s lymphatic defense system recognizes them as “foreign” and can cause allergic reactions. This is not the case with the smallest building blocks of proteins – the amino acids – or with albumin. And this would also reveal the next secret: proteins are among the nutrients with the greatest allergenic potential. Therefore, a broth in which the food components are broken down into the smallest molecules by cooking for a long time (at least 3 hours) is not only aromatic, it is also good for us in several ways: it tastes good, it warms us and it helps us to recover more quickly.

Our Recipe Tip

Self-Made Bone Broth
(Bones of Cattle, Pigs or Chickens)

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 kg of beef, pork or chicken bones (preferably organic and not from factory farming!)
  • 2 pieces of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 8 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 teaspoons sea salt or crystal salt, finely ground
  • 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar
  • Cold, preferably osmosis filtered water
  • 1/2 cup fresh herbs, especially rosemary (also thyme, oregano, sage and chervil)

Preparation:

  • Place the bones, vegetables, garlic, bay leaves and coconut vinegar in a pot.
  • Add enough, if possible filtered water to cover all the ingredients.
  • Now add the herbs of your choice.
  • Bring to the boil on high heat and let it boil for about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat and let it simmer slightly.
  • Now you cook the whole thing on a very low heat for at least 3 hours up to 1-2 days. The longer you cook, the more gelatine and minerals are extracted from the bones.
  • When the broth is ready, pass it through a sieve and throw the solid residues into the garbage.
  • You can now enjoy the finished broth or deep-freeze it in portions, so you always have a good basis for soups or the like at home.

Additional tips:

  1. Always add a dash of good vinegar to the meat broth. It helps to extract the valuable minerals from bones so that they become components of the broth and at the same time neutralise the acidity of the vinegar.
  2. Roast the bones beforehand at 190° C (375° F) for 50-60 minutes for smaller bones. For chickens, use the legs, as they contain more collagen and thus help thicken the broth more. Roasting gives the soup additional flavour and a brownish colour. Alternatively, you can prepare the broth without roasted bones and achieve the crispness by roasting onions. We personally prefer fish, beef and chicken over pork.
  3. Cover the roasted bones with cold, filtered water (osmosis filtered is best). The purer the water, the clearer the broth. In addition, the cold water also dissolves certain proteins such as albumin from the bones, which makes the broth even clearer.
  4. Add herbs and vegetables to suit your personal taste. By the way, rosemary is particularly suitable for dissolving calcium from the bones.

Did You Know…?

A broth made from bones has clear culinary and health advantages over a simple beef, chicken or vegetable broth. It has a more intense flavor and has additional nutritional and physiological benefits due to the collagen released from the bones, cartilage and marrow. The collagen is the basis for natural thickening, so there is no need for roux, which only adds unnecessary unhealthy carbohydrates to a recipe through processed extract flours.

Fresh ingredients such as vegetables, herbs, meat and bones are essential for the clearest and most nutritious broth. The fat layer that forms on the surface of the soup after it is cooked and cooled can be skimmed off. To remove the coarse fat from the hot soup at the end of cooking, use a fine strainer with an extra cloth. Don’t make the mistake of straining the broth through a wiping cloth! This will dissolve the substances in the cloths, such as chlorine bleach poison and glyphosate. Both are suspected carcinogens. Always use a linen cloth for fine straining, which you can then wash again.