{"id":45,"date":"2019-07-06T19:09:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-06T19:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/noodlenarratives\/?p=45"},"modified":"2019-07-06T19:09:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-06T19:09:14","slug":"blog-post-1-matzo-ball-soup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/noodlenarratives\/2019\/07\/06\/blog-post-1-matzo-ball-soup\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Post #1: Matzo Ball Soup"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Matzo ball soup is of great importance to me<\/em>, almost a spiritual experience, for a variety of reasons\u2014first and foremost, there is its delicious flavor.\u00a0 There is nothing better than biting into a matzo ball of perfect size, texture, and density, with the right balance of spices.\u00a0 It is very easy to tell when a matzo ball has just the right ratio of ingredients and was cooked for just the right amount of time.\u00a0 Secondly, and in connection to the previous point regarding flavor, is the sense of home that a warm of cup matzo ball soup gives me.\u00a0 There is a reason that people call matzo ball soup \u201cJewish penicillin,\u201d for there is nothing better for soothing a sore throat or cold than a warm cup of matzo ball soup, prepared just right.\u00a0 From my preschool through high school days, if I was home sick from school, my mom would offer me a cup of matzo ball soup.\u00a0 It became associated with ‘sick days’ for me, and as I grew older, she did not even have to ask me anymore if I wanted it, for she knew that it was the one thing I craved in that moment.\u00a0 When I came to college for the very first time and was hit with a severe cold during syllabus week of my Freshman year, my mom phoned Hillel at Emory\u2014specifically, for their \u201cJewish Penicillin Hotline,\u201d a special service offered by Emory\u2019s Hillel (and Hillel\u2019s nationwide) that caters to sick students, by delivering matzo ball soup to them at no cost.\u00a0 More information about Emory Hillel\u2019s \u201cJewish Penicillin Hotline\u201d can be found on their website (https:\/\/emoryhillel.org\/jewish-penicillin-hotline\/<\/a>).\u00a0 I had the sense of warmth and of home upon sipping this cup of soup, feeling automatically better\u2014despite my being several hundred miles away from home, my mother still had the ability to \u2018take care of me\u2019 via my favorite cure\u2014matzo ball soup\u2014thanks to Hillel\u2019s program.\u00a0 On another note, matzo ball soup holds special meaning for me because of the connection that it has to my grandmother.\u00a0 My grandmother\u2019s homemade matzo ball soup was my all-time favorite, and it wasn\u2019t just the eating that ranked so highly but also the fact that we made it together which added up to a special bonding experience, \u2014cooking in general was our main way of bonding.\u00a0 If it were not for my grandmother, I most likely would never have found the pleasure that I do in cooking and baking (anything) to this day. She had a natural talent for this and delighted in sharing it with me. This was a true inspiration.\u00a0 Although she is no longer with us, her lessons gave me the skills to continue her tradition and keep her memory close.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The two photographs that follow are linked to the meaning that matzo ball soup holds dearly for me.\u00a0 The first one is of my loving grandmother\u2014the matzo ball master chef\u2014and I, at my second birthday.\u00a0 The second photo is of the dish itself\u2014matzo ball soup\u2014which I tracked down from NPR\u2019s website (https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2015\/04\/03\/397213116\/ahead-of-passover-learning-how-to-make-matzo-balls<\/a>).\u00a0 I could not find a photograph of my grandmother\u2019s matzo ball soup but note the dill that is in the broth\u2014a major contributor to the broth\u2019s flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My grandmother and I.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2015\/04\/03\/397213116\/ahead-of-passover-learning-how-to-make-matzo-balls\"
Matzo ball soup with fresh dill (https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2015\/04\/03\/397213116\/ahead-of-passover-learning-how-to-make-matzo-balls).<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 While my grandmother did not have a written recipe for her soup, years of observing and assisting\u2014by being her \u201ctaste-tester\u201d\u2014taught me the optimal proportions of ingredients, and one day I made sure to write down everything that I had observed.\u00a0 Moreover, there are two key parts to this soup\u2014the first one being the broth, and the second one being the matzo balls.\u00a0 Before making the matzo balls (my favorite part), she would make the broth<\/strong>, incorporating the following basic ingredients:<\/span><\/p>\n