The ultimate cure-all immune boosting comfort food

ROOTS & TRADITIONS

In Sephardic Jewish cuisine, avgolemono was called agristada, or salsa blanca. Due to a strict kosher diet prohibiting dairy, agristarda grew out of necessity, utilizing eggs as a thickening agent. It was known as “the cornerstone of Sephartic cooking.” It was originally made with verjuice, pomegranate juice, or bitter orange juice. During the Middle Ages, the Sukkot festival popularized citrus cultivation and lemons became the standard acidic ingredient. When the Iberian Jews were expelled from Spain during the Inquisition, they brought agristada with them to Greece.

Today, avgolemono, or “egg-lemon” in Greek, is used to define a whole category of soups made with eggs, lemon, and broth. The broth can be made from meat, fish, or vegetables. All ingredients are emulsified to make a thick, creamy, tangy sauce. In Greece, the sauce can be used to thicken soups and stews such as psarosoupa avgolemono (fish soup), magiritsa (lamb offal soup made for Easter), prasoselino soupa (leek and celery soup), patsa (tripe soup) or yuvarlakia (meatball soup). It is also used in a variety of dishes such as dolmas, artichokes, and roast meats. The standard chicken soup called soupa avgolemono or kotosoupa avgolemono is thought to be gentle on the stomach and is a traditional way to break the Yom Kippur fast.