The bone broth trend isn't going anywhere: here's what you need to know (2024)

Brodo, bone broth, stock, bouillon, consommé — what's the difference? Most people shrug and say they're all the same thing. But look closer and differences arise. Here's what you need to know about the hottest new health trend.

What is bone broth?

There are differing opinions as to what constitutes bone broth. Most people agree that it is not much different from stock, or the liquid that remains after animal bones are boiled in water, usually with aromatics like onions, garlic, and herbs. In that sense, bone broth is as old as restaurants themselves.

Those who were sensitive... made public show... by going to the new establishments known as 'restaurateurs' rooms' and there sipping their bouillons.

In mid-eighteenth century France, travelers would stop at inns to rest for the night. Eventually, innkeepers began doling out bowls of broth — then called restoratifs. This practice and name gave rise to the word restaurant: a place to restore one's health and wellness.

In her bookThe Invention of the Restaurant, author Rebecca Spang notes that by the late eighteenth century, "those who were sensitive and supposedly suffering made public show of their delicacy by going to the new establishments known as 'restaurateurs' rooms' and there sipping their bouillons (French for broth)."

L'Illustration, Journal Universel, Paris/Shutterstock

So what, if any, is the difference between stock and bone broth?

Late last year, New York City-based chef Marco Canora (Hearth) told Eater all about his new bone broth take-out window, Brodo, which has only grown in popularity since it's launch last November. "It's magical," Canora said. The chef roasts the bones he uses for his broth and then boils them for "24 hours or longer," which is far longer than most home recipes cite. (The Joy of Cooking says to simmer the ingredients for chicken stock for four hours.)

Dietitians who specialize in the Paleo diet assert that this long cooking process — anywhere from 12 to 48 hours — breaks the bones down, releases nutrients and minerals, and makes nutrient-rich collagen, gelatin, and glucosamine easier to digest.

Does bone broth have actual health benefits?

"It's magical." — chef Marco Canora

Bone marrow is the densest source of fat-soluble vitamins, and so boiling bones to release those vitamins into an easily digestible liquid sounds like it would make a perfect elixir. The field of nutrition is an imperfect one though, so nutritionists don't agree about the health claims associated with bone broth.Scientists told NPR recently that the purported health benefits associated with bone broth were "overblown," at best.

The health claims associated with bone broth are "overblown."

"Since we don't absorb collagen whole, the idea that eating collagen somehow promotes bone growth is just wishful thinking," says William Percy, an associate professor at the University of South Dakota's Sanford School of Medicine. Rather, he explains that the human digestive system is likely to break down the collagen into amino acids and use them wherever needed.

Very few studies have been done on bone broth as some chefs and dietitians define it: roasted bone-based stock that has been boiled for over 12 hours.Studies on the health benefits of chicken soup — long heralded as a cure-all the world over — prove only that broth-based soups reduce inflammation in the human body.

What is the difference between brodo, bouillon, consommé, stock, and soup?

...broth or stock in English, brodo in Italian, and bouillon in French.

Brodo, bouillon, and stock are essentially all the same thing. Usually, but not always, meat-based: bones, vegetables, and fragrant herbs are simmered in water. The resulting liquid is called broth or stock in English, brodo in Italian, and bouillon in French. Consommé is a clear version of bouillon that uses egg whites to collect the excess fat and sediment from the broth.

In some recipes and on grocery store shelves, bouillon refers to cubes of concentrated flavorings that can be dissolved into water and reconstitute as stock.

Soup is a dish that often, but not always, starts with a stock or broth. But it always has additional ingredients: diced or cubed vegetables, hunks of meat, beans, grains, or any number of different spices and herbs.

Why are people saying that bone broth is just stock?

It is stock. To differentiate it from the stock you buy at the grocery store or make at home, chefs and dietitians define it as stock that has been made with roasted animal bones and simmered for a long time.

It's important to note that many restaurants (and somerecipes) make stock with roasted bones and simmer it for 12 or more hours.

The Guardian asked bone broth advocates and writersHemsley + Hemsley about the trend, which has indeed reached London:

Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley grew up drinking bone broth made by their Filipino mother, use it as a base for soups, stews and gravies, and add a dash to their scrambled eggs. Properly made broth has many benefits. "It's delicious, soothing and easy to make," say the sisters. "Nutritionally, it's a champion all-rounder, packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin."

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So why don't they call it stock? Because, let's be honest - when most of us see stock in a recipe, we're more likely to reach for the Knorr than for a pot of slowly simmering beef bones we just happen to have on standby. "Stock can mean cubes, bouillon powder, veg stock or ready-made ‘fresh' stocks sold in packets and cans. We refer to it as ‘bone broth' to ensure people can differentiate," say the Hemsleys.

Serious Eats created a twitter account recently, calledStockStickler, to help people remember that when they talk about bone broth, they're also talking about stock.

@mariannevelonis That's also called "stock"

— Stock Stickler (@StockStickler) February 12, 2015

Is it different from the stock you can buy at the grocery store?

Paul Swansen/Flickr

Yes. Most of the stock found canned orboxed at the grocery store is mass produced and usually contains added sodium, sugar, artificial flavorings or colorings, and may not use ingredients of good quality. Homemade broth or stock, or that made at restaurants, is typically prepared with care, using high quality ingredients so that it yields a liquid with optimal flavor and nutrition.

Is it a beverage or a soup?

We're calling it broth or stock you drink out of a cup. Want to put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon? That's soup.

People, if you're going to drink bone broth, do it out of proper glassware. pic.twitter.com/hFxTCHDEtA

— Anna Spiegel (@AnnaSpiegs) February 11, 2015

(It's also cat food, apparently.)

Why is bone broth so popular right now?

Bone broth appeals to individuals seeking to improve their health, much as it did when it was first served at Europe's early restaurants. The Paleo Diet remains one of the most popular diets in the U.S. right now, and bone broth is a key element in this low-carb, high-protein diet.

Shutterstock

Is bone broth good for athletes?

Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant made headlines last month whenhe told the press, "I've been doing the bone broth for a while now. It's great — energy, inflammation. It's great."

The relationship between boiling time and the health benefits of bone broth varies.

But what bone broth Bryant is sipping isn't simmered for 12 hours.According to ESPN, Lakers' chef Sandra Padilla makes Bryant's bone broth by "fill[ing]a large pot with bones, vegetables and more... Once it starts boiling, I let it cook." About eight hours later, she strains the broth and refrigerates it, "where it turns into a gelatinous substance when cool." Eight hours is still longer than most home recipes call for, but it's clear that the relationship between boiling time and the health benefits of bone broth varies.

Why is it so expensive?

Probably because it is trendy. The ingredients that go into bone broth are typically not expensive. Animal bones, vegetables, and herbs are not highly priced ingredients. However, if the broth is made from quality ingredients and time is taken to roast the bones and simmer them for a day or longer, it can be a labor-intensive process.

Girl: Do you have bone broth bones? Me: Yes we sell bones. Girl: But are they for bone broth?

— Nick Macri (@meat_man_macri) February 10, 2015

Some places that are serving bone broth are also using pricey ingredients to dress the broth up. Everything from truffles to foie gras can add a little luxury to an otherwise homey sip.

Why are people talking about it right now?

Bone broth took off late last year in the Northeastern U.S. and has since spread across the country. It is likely the latest health fad, following closely behind the juice craze of 2013 and 2014.