The Boiling Origins of Broth

One of the oldest cooking words in English, ‘broth’ goes back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning ‘boiling liquid’. It appears in Old English with much the same sense and has stayed close to its origins ever since. Along the way it linked with relatives like ‘brew’ and ‘bread’, met its French counterpart ‘bouillon’, and later found its way into cubes and powders. A small word with a long history in the pot.