Chicken soup .. not for The Soul ... just for luxuriating in ...
Broth was considered a restorative in the ancient world. Chicken broth's special identification with health may have been due to the humoral system of medicine. According to the theory, broth had qualities that eased digestion. As thin foods were believed to be easier to digest, broths were specifically recommended for the sick. Also, the color of chicken soup was similar to the human complexion and was consequently considered nourishing. Whatever the cause of the original belief, it survived into the Middle Ages: Chicken broth was commonly believed to be healthful throughout the Mediterranean and Western Europe. Moslems were particularly taken with chicken broth, as were the Jews. For instance, the classical Persian philosopher and physician Avicenna (980–1037) and the Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher Maimonides (1135–1204) regarded chicken soup as beneficial for the ill. This belief survived in Western culinary traditions, particularly those of Jews in Eastern Europe. Jews boiled chickens on Friday. The water in which the chicken was boiled was converted into soup and consumed during the week. Added to the broth were other ingredients, such as carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, kreplach, noodles, and matzoh balls. It was offered to those who were ill as a restorative.