[Ads-l] what is broth?

[Barretts Mail]

The English OLD (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/broth <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/broth>) claims it is "Soup consisting of meat or vegetables cooked in stock, sometimes thickened with barley or other cereals” but provides examples such as:

This was rice, sausage, fresh herbs and broth cooked in the oven as you would prepare paella at home
Spoon the broth with vegetables into soup bowls.
It had a dark broth, cooked vegetables and small chunks of meat.

The definition has a sub-definition of “Meat or fish stock.”

It says that soup (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/soup <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/soup>) is "A liquid dish, typically savoury and made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables etc. in stock or water.”

And stock (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stock <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stock>) is "Liquid made by cooking bones, meat, fish, or vegetables slowly in water, used as a basis for the preparation of soup, gravy, or sauces.”

Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/broth <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/broth>) says "liquid in which meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been cooked : stock” and says that stock is "liquid in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered that is used as a basis for soup, gravy, or sauce"

Wiktionary says (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broth <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broth>):
1. Water in which food (meat or vegetable etc) has been boiled.
2. A soup made from broth and other ingredients such as vegetables, herbs or diced meat.

About stock (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stock <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stock>), Wiktionary says: Broth made from meat (originally bones) or vegetables, used as a basis for stew or soup.

Wiktionary seems to be saying that the characteristic of stock that differentiates it from broth is that stock must be used to make stew of soup whereas broth has no such restriction (and can be a soup in and of itself).

I wonder whether broth is allowed to have solid chunks. AFAIK, stock should not have chunks. To me, soup should have chunks, but I think, as a sub-definition, soup refers to the liquid portion of a soup, i.e., the broth portion.

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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