This document discusses chicken soup from various cultural perspectives and its use as a remedy for illness. It provides background on chicken soup's origins in traditional Jewish and Middle Eastern medicine. Several regional variations are described, including Iraqi, Sephardic, and Vietnamese styles that incorporate ingredients like rice, matzo balls, tomatoes, and tamarind. Scientific research has found chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that can help fight colds and flu. Specific Vietnamese soups are highlighted as good options for illness due to their use of healing herbs and spices. Preparation instructions for a Vietnamese sour soup are provided.

1. Chicken Soup The Jewish Penicillin http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Food/Ashkenazic_Cuisine/Poland_and_Russia/chickensoup.shtml

3. Beginnings Maimonides 12th C. Jewish physician Spain and Egypt Greatest Jewish thinker of all times Second to Moses as greatest Jewish spiritual authority On the Causes of Symptoms 1st to recommend chicken soup for respiratory tract symptoms http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/118/4/1150.full.pdf+html

4. Jewish Jokes about Chicken Soup Jewish mother’s answering machine Chicken soup

5. Jewish Chicken Soup from around the world IRAQ Rice Cardamom Turmeric Cinnamon Ginger http://www.israelikitchen.com/cookbooks-i-like/chicken-soup-with-rice-iraqi-style/

6. Sephardic Matzo Ball Soup Thyme Cumin Coriander Cinnamon Tomatoes Parsnips Turnips Chickpeas Cilantro http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/11/07/the-shiksas-at-it-again-sephardic-matzo-ball-soup/

7. Sephardic Persian Chicken Soup

8. Sephardic Chicken Soup with Sofrito and Herbed Matzo Balls Sofrito Sauce of Tomatoes Bell peppers Cilantro Garlic Saffron http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/sephardic-chicken-soup-with-sofrito-and-herbed-matzo-balls-recipe/index.html

9. Sephardic Morrocan Chicken Soup with Couscous

10. Vietnamese Soup Together with rice, soup is a basic item in a Vietnamese meal. Sometimes the meal is only a soup. The Vietnamese will stop at any time of day or night for Soup. Soup (chao) made regularly and especially when someone is sick.

11. Chicken Soup—Nature’s Best Flu Remedy? Science has actually proved that chicken soup is not only good for the soul, but also your bronchial tubes! The benefits of a steaming bowl of rich chicken broth, especially if spiced up with pepper and garlic, are real. In fact, research shows that it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, helping fight off those pesky winter germs. I think that just about any grandmother, no matter where she’s from, knew this long before laboratory testing proved her right. I just think soup tastes good, and makes me feel good when I'm sick, especially on a chilly, late winter day.Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2006/11/28/why-do-we-eat-chicken-soup-when-were-sick/#ixzz182U4BO5E

12. Favorite Vietnamese Chicken Soups For the cold and flu season, and the road to recovery includes eating hearty soups and broths. Here are suggestion that should help clear your sinuses.

13. Vietnamese Chicken Meatball Soup www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/soups/img...

14. Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup Pho Ga (pronounced fuh)

15. Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Chicken Soup Canh Chua

16. Ingredients 2 tablespoons tamarind powder (optional) 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 1 tablespoon oil 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon Asian chili paste or hot chili flakes 5 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth 1 pound chicken (or fish/shimp if you don't use chicken) 1 cup pineapple chunks (3/4 in.) 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nuocmam) 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup lime juice (6 tablespoons if you don't use tamarind pulp) 2 Roma tomatoes (6 oz. total), rinsed, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges 2 stalks celery or taro steam (sliced) 2 cups (6 oz.) bean sprouts, rinsed and drained 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons chopped rice-paddy herb (ngoom) or fresh cilantro 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chilies or chili garlic sauce

17. The fruits of the tamarind Throughout Asia it is common use for health remedies.

18. Tamarind in Worcestershire sauce? Yes, the ingredient that sets Worcestershire sauce apart from most sauces is tamarind

19. YouTube - Sweet and Sour Soup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVb1NBDCMIM

20. Preparation for Vietnamese flu-fighting soup 1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, stir shallots with oil until golden and crisp. 2.Add garlic, chicken, and fish sauce to pan and stir until garlic is fragrant. 3.Add broth, tamarind powder, sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat. 4. Add pineapple, tomatoes, and celery. 5.Cook, uncovered, just until chicken is cooked and simmered 5 to 6 minutes. 6. Add bean sprouts into hot broth. 7. Ladle soup mixture into bowls and sprinkle with fried shallots, cilantro, basil, rice-paddy herb (ngoom), and chopped green onions. Add chilies to taste.

21. Taro leaf and stem/stalk

22. Canh Chua Ca (Vietnamese sour soup)