Tablet broth is part of family history, but it’s not the only option

Few ingredients represent the duality between concern for health and concession to practicality in the kitchen as well as broths in tablet form. While security guards worry about the harmful effects of its use, cooks in the modern – and fast-paced – world justify themselves by remembering that, in order to produce a rich and tasty homemade broth, which adds layers of flavor to a recipe, it must be cooked for a long time. hours and hours.

Homemade and industrialized broths are commonly made from the same ingredients: proteins, vegetables and seasonings. The difference is that, in homemade, the ingredients are used in their fresh and natural form, while in the industrial ones these elements are lyophilized and then added with sodium, preservatives and artificial flavorings.

“Industrialized broths are not villains in themselves. If used within a balanced diet context, they facilitate the consumption of homemade and healthy foods, since they provide flavor and can be important tools to stimulate, for example, the increased consumption of vegetables”, believes Gisele Bannwart, nutritionist and food engineer.

Natália Santos, chef at Unilever, says that Knorr’s broths, brand part of the company’s umbrella, do not have preservatives added to the formulas and are made with sustainably grown ingredients.

“Knorr has been reformulating its portfolio over time to better meet consumer needs and has recently brought innovations such as the zero salt line to the market. It is common to find recipe notebooks that are passed down from generation to generation, and the most iconic family recipes and tasty have Knorr broth in their preparation.”

In fact, the presence of industrial broths in the country’s kitchens is undeniable. For sociologist Carlos Alberto Dória, broths are part of cooking, whether originated in industrial solutions or made on the spot.

“But industrialized broths, that is, freeze-dried broths, replaced homemade broths for reasons of practicality and not for the creation of a new eating habit or something like that. The resistance to these broths is due to their excess of chemical interference in the sense of preserving proteins”, says Dória.

“Beef broth was invented in the 1850’s. This innovation was widely used in Rio Grande do Sul in the 19th century, when research into the production of ways to package meat and its derivatives for export. These broths for immediate preparation repeat this procedure, which is to transport the protein element and rehydrate at the place of consumption.”

“When my mother discovered the magic broth tablets, she started using them”, recalls the chef at the Tordesilhas restaurant and researcher of Brazilian cuisine, Mara Salles. “She, even without knowing the umami flavor, instinctively explored the flavor of the natural glutamate of tomatoes, parmesan, cauliflower and did it masterfully to make up for the absence of meat in difficult times.”

“However, when I prepared vegetables with less striking flavors such as zucchini, chayote, and even some soups without protein, I always argued that ‘with a meat broth this is delicious’, and it was.”

For Helena Rizzo, chef at Maní and presenter of the Masterchef program, the industrialized broths arrived through her father. “He would make a lot of risottos, paellas, and every now and then he would add a little piece of the tablet broth, and we really liked his food,” she says.

“When I started working with food, my father also became more and more involved with the kitchen. I used to tease him every time he used tablet broth at home and, nowadays, he doesn’t use it anymore.”

With extensive research on broths, chef Caio Soter from Minas Gerais, head of the Pacato restaurant in Belo Horizonte, believes that the affective memory of Brazilians is “made up of tablet broth”.

“My family used them and I believe they are part of the culinary culture of Brazilians, they brought practicality to a more hectic life. But I think it’s a behavior we should try to get away from. Anyway, just talking about broth tablet, it already makes my mouth water”, he jokes.

The mouth watering, however, is no wonder. Many of the broths have a percentage of monosodium glutamate, umami, better known as the fifth flavor, naturally present in ingredients such as tomato, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.

“I have no doubt that these industrialized broths are very practical and in times of hunger, like now, they can bring the memory of meat, but at a very high cost to health”, points out Mara Salles.

“I can identify a food with industrialized broth. It has that artificial taste, which often ends up masking the flavor of the other ingredients”, guarantees Helena Rizzo.

Betty Kovesi, head of the Wilma Kovesi Kitchen School, in Pinheiros, tells how the subject is approached in the classroom. “Our number one lesson is to teach that broth is nothing more than a tasty liquid that goes into a preparation to enhance flavor. Lesson number two is for them to get into the habit of reading the ingredients that make up the food they are buying on the label,” he says.

To make life easier for amateur cooks, the school started selling frozen broths that had the same practicality as industrial broths. Marina Hernandez, chef at Wilma Kovesi, says they produce beef, poultry, vegetable and shrimp broths weekly. They cost from R$29 to R$39 a liter.

“Broth is not a seven-headed bug as people think”, says Helena Rizzo. “It’s possible to make a delicious broth in 20, 30 minutes. Besides, it’s also a way to use up surplus ingredients you have at home. Do you make a roasted chicken and leave bones? Use it in the broth. to the garbage? You can also enjoy it.”