Broth
Broth is a savoury liquid made by simmering meat, fish, vegetables, or cereal grains in water.
Broth is a savoury liquid made by simmering meat, fish, vegetables, or cereal grains in water. It is used as a soup on its own and as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies. In some contexts, the word also refers to a fluid culture medium in microbiology.
Definition and usage
Broth refers to a liquid made by cooking food ingredients in water, especially meat, fish, or vegetables. It may be eaten as a soup or used to add flavour and body to other dishes.
Broth and stock
Many dictionaries treat broth and stock as overlapping or synonymous terms, while others distinguish broth as the finished liquid or soup and stock as a cooking base. In everyday English, usage varies by region and recipe tradition.
Culinary role
Broth is a common cooking liquid in soups, sauces, and gravies because it carries flavour from the ingredients it was simmered with. It may be made from meat, fish, vegetables, or grains such as barley.
Other meanings
In microbiology, broth refers to a nutrient liquid medium used to culture microorganisms. This scientific meaning is separate from the culinary one.
Key facts
- Broth is defined as the liquid in which meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been cooked.
- Dictionary sources also describe broth as a thin or clear soup, often containing vegetables or rice.
- Broth is commonly used as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies.
- In some usage, broth is treated as a synonym of stock, though some sources distinguish them by ingredients or purpose.
- The word can also mean a liquid culture medium used in laboratory microbiology.
Broth is a standard term in Canadian English for a cooking liquid or thin soup, and it appears in common food vocabulary across Canadian households, restaurants, and packaged soups.
Frequently asked questions
What is broth?
Is broth the same as stock?
What is broth used for?
Can broth contain vegetables or rice?
Does broth have a scientific meaning?
References
- Merriam-Webster — Supports: Definition of broth as liquid cooked with meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables; also as a fluid culture medium.
- Cambridge Dictionary — Supports: Broth as a thin soup, often made with the liquid from boiled meat bones.
- Vocabulary.com — Supports: Broth as liquid in which ingredients are simmered; used as a basis for soups or sauces.
- Dictionary.com — Supports: Broth as thin soup, water boiled with ingredients, and microbiology meaning.
- Britannica Dictionary — Supports: Broth as liquid in which food has been cooked.
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries — Supports: Broth as a thick soup made by boiling meat or fish and vegetables in water; etymology note.
- Collins Dictionary — Supports: Broth as a thin soup and another name for stock.