Physician's Chicken Broth (Marak)
A clear, golden broth, long-simmered from a hen, flavored with onion, saffron, and a touch of cinnamon. Light, restorative, exactly what the doctor ordered.
A clear, golden broth, long-simmered from a hen, flavored with onion, saffron, and a touch of cinnamon. Light, restorative, exactly what the doctor ordered.
Listen to the physician as to the sage, for they inhabit the same man. To those oppressed in the chest or exhausted by fever, I prescribed chicken broth, skimmed and clear, taken warm in small sips. I wrote it in my treatise on asthma: this broth loosens the humor and restores strength without burdening the stomach. Prepare it with patience, skim it well, and let it be your first food after illness.
- •Whole hen (poultry) — one (base of the broth)
- •Onion — one or two (flavor)
- •Saffron — a few threads (color and aroma)
- •Cinnamon — a shard (sweet spice)
- •Dill or parsley — a bunch (freshness)
- •Salt — moderate (seasoning)
Physician's Chicken Broth (Marak)
A clear, golden broth, long-simmered from a hen, flavored with onion, saffron, and a touch of cinnamon. Light, restorative, exactly what the doctor ordered.
Why this dish? Maimonides was not only a philosopher: he was the court physician of the Ayyubid dynasty in Cairo. In his *Treatise on Asthma*, he explicitly recommends chicken broth to strengthen convalescents and relieve respiratory ailments. This is, literally, a prescription from his own pen.
Listen to the physician as to the sage, for they inhabit the same man. To those oppressed in the chest or exhausted by fever, I prescribed chicken broth, skimmed and clear, taken warm in small sips. I wrote it in my treatise on asthma: this broth loosens the humor and restores strength without burdening the stomach. Prepare it with patience, skim it well, and let it be your first food after illness.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole hen (poultry) — one (base of the broth)
- Onion — one or two (flavor)
- Saffron — a few threads (color and aroma)
- Cinnamon — a shard (sweet spice)
- Dill or parsley — a bunch (freshness)
- Salt — moderate (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Stewing hen (or large free-range chicken) — 1 (about 1.8 kg) (base of the broth)
- Onions — 2, halved (flavor)
- Saffron — 1 pinch (color and aroma)
- Cinnamon — 1 small stick (sweet spice)
- Dill or parsley — 1 bunch (freshness)
- Salt — 1.5 tsp (seasoning)
- Water — 3 liters (liquid)
Method
- Place the hen in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring gently to a simmer.
- Skim off any foam that rises during the first minutes.
- Add the onions, saffron, cinnamon, and salt; let simmer covered for 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Add the herb bouquet in the last half hour.
- Strain the broth, degrease it (letting it cool to remove solidified fat gives a clearer broth).
- Serve warm, optionally with some shredded chicken meat.
How it was made : Medieval Arab-Jewish medicine, heir to Galen, saw poultry broth as an ideal "temperate" remedy to rebalance the humors of weakened patients. Maimonides takes up this tradition and refines it. It was prepared without New World vegetables, of course: only poultry, onion, herbs, and mild spices.
The contemporary twist : Poach some fine noodles (fideos) in the broth at the end, a nod to the famous "chicken soup" that has become universal — now nicknamed "Jewish penicillin."
Sources : Maimonides, *Treatise on Asthma* (*Maqāla fī al-rabw*), c. 1190 · Maimonides, *Regimen of Health* (*Fī tadbīr al-ṣiḥḥa*)
Maimonides · Charactorium
