There’s nothing quite like your grandmother’s cooking to transport you to a more familiar setting. And the kitchens of Govanhill tenements are filled with the aromas of a multitude of different cuisines reflecting the diverse make-up of the neighbourhood. This issue comes from Naomi who shares her family recipe for a restorative chicken noodle soup.

By Naomi Magnus

When I was asked to write about the food my grandma used to make, I knew I’d have to be a bit creative with the brief. My dad’s mum died when I was little, while my mum’s mum has had a long-term mental illness since I was about the same age. Although this makes it hard for me to pinpoint an exact dish my grandma used to make, it was easy to think of one that represents family cooking for me.

Every Friday night, to celebrate the start of Shabbat – the Jewish Sabbath – my mum will cook some version of the same meal: chicken soup, usually followed by chicken with roast or sweet potatoes, finished off with some variety of strudel or apple crumble for dessert. Of these, it’s the chicken soup that always stands out for me.

While chicken soup may be seen as a traditional food of Ashkenazim (Jews originally from Eastern or Central Europe), its origins are likely to be either Spanish or Portuguese, having been brought to Greece by Sephardi Jews (Jews from Spain or Portugal) who fled the Spanish Inquisition.

Traditionally, the chicken required to make this soup was too scarce or expensive to be consumed every Friday. However, there was one day a year when every family would prepare the soup – on Erev Yom Kippur, the evening before Yom Kippur. Usually falling in September, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It’s usually translated as the ‘Day of Atonement’ in English – a day to atone for misdeeds and become cleansed and purified of them. It’s also marked by a 25-hour fast from both food and water, so eating a good meal beforehand is crucial to sustaining yourself.

As well as offering sustenance, chicken soup has also been claimed to have medicinal properties – which is why it’s sometimes nicknamed ‘Jewish penicillin’. Twelfth century Jewish philosopher and scientist, Maimonides, claimed that chicken soup could cure asthma, weight gain and even leprosy. For many Jews, chicken soup still remains synonymous with medicine and healing. For me, it’s synonymous with home, and the only dish worth breaking my vegetarianism for.

My Mum’s Chicken Soup Recipe
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
The carcass of 1 large chicken (or four chicken giblets if preferred)
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped and peeled
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2-4 bay leaves (optional)
Chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls of Jewish fine egg noodles or spaghetti
A small bunch fresh leaf parsley and/or dill (optional)
Method
1. Rinse the chicken in cold water, pat dry with kitchen paper, then put it into a large pot – ideally a pressure cooker.
2. Chop the vegetables and add them to the pot alongside the carcass and bay leaves (if using).
3. Cover the carcass and vegetables with water, until all ingredients are covered, with water coming two or three inches above.
4. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook for around an hour and a half. Skim any froth off the top while cooking, if needed.
5. After an hour and a half, slowly add chicken stock and salt and pepper according to taste.
6. Leave to cook, uncovered, for a few minutes.
7. Remove the soup from the heat and strain it through your biggest sieve or colander, reserving the carrots and celery, but sieving out the onions.
8. Return the soup to the boil, adding noodles and the veg and cooking for a further 10 minutes.
9. Finely chop and add the fresh parsley or dill if using.
10. Best enjoyed with a piece of warm challah – sweet, brioche-like bread traditionally eaten on Shabbat.