National: Chicken Soup With Rice

Most people we know seem to have been hit by a dreadful January cold, and we are no exception. The only thing we are interested in eating is an avgolemono-type soup that our mom always made for us when we were sick, but we suspect that most people crave the homey comfort of chicken soup and its alleged curative properties.

This animated version of “Chicken Soup with Rice” is a personal childhood favorite, and the line “in January it’s so nice / while slippin’ on the slidin’ ice / to sip hot chicken soup with rice” seems pretty timely right about now. But what is it about chicken soup (with rice, noodles, or super simple with nothing but broth and veggies)?

Chicken soup as a curative is pretty universal. Just check out the Wikipedia page: there are entries for soup from basically every continent. Apparently, it’s been used as a healing soup for cold since Ancient Egypt, although since we’re talking about info gleaned from Wikipedia, take this with a few grains of salt. Nevertheless, it’s been a home-remedy for colds for a very, very long time, so it’s a bit tricky to separate whether it just works as a placebo by way of comfort food or if it has legitimate medicinal properties. On the other hand, there is some real research behind its effectiveness as a cold cure. For example (from the NYT),

Using blood samples from volunteers, [Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center] showed that the soup inhibited the movement of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell that defends against infection. Dr. Rennard theorizes that by inhibiting the migration of these infection-fighting cells in the body, chicken soup essentially helps reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms.

It’s also been shown to have respiratory benefits — greater than those from water! — but most importantly, it tastes good and has charming songs written about it. So, if you too are under the weather, we wholeheartedly suggest watching this video, mustering up the will to make chicken soup (or ordering some in from your favorite place), and feeling better one slurp at a time.

The Science of Chicken Soup [NYT]

National: Chicken Soup With Rice