A Soothing Broth: Soups, Tonics, and Other Cure-alls for Colds, Coughs, Upset Tummies, and Out-of-sorts Days - Hardcover

Learn how to take care of sick folks with humor & good food.
Did you ever have to take care of someone who was sick and feel at a complete loss about how and what to feed them? Now that hospitals are kicking patients out faster than you can pay the bill, it's being left up to family and friends to figure out how to make a loved one feel better. Long before managed care--even long before hospitals--there was a branch of cooking known as "Invalid Cooking," comprised of recipes to feed the sick and help them recover. These recipes, which appeared in almost every cookbook straight up to the early years of the 20th century, were often delicious and sensible, nourishing and theraputic. Wonderful wine jellies (a sophisticated form of Jello), custards and main dishes such as shrimp sauteed with black pepper (a winter tonic), along with restorative rubs and potions, were all common household remedies used to see loved ones through to health. I first came across these recipes when I was helping to take care of my husband's mother in her last bout with cancer. As serious as her condition was--and frightening in its extremes--these recipes helped her to feel more comfortable and, by extension, gave our family a sense that we were being useful by providing her with a measure of much needed comfort. In lesser needs, I have used these recipes for everything from getting my children through colds and flues, to coaxing a friend through the last dregs of stomach flu. You'll even find dandelion wine to set the body up for spring and a winter restorative when it has been snowing for too long. Interspersed with the recipes are stories and essays, nursing lore and just plain encouragement, to help us regain the long lost knowledged of taking care of our family and friends.

Pat Willard, the author of Pie Every Day, is a columnist for Brooklyn Bridge magazine.  She lives in Brooklyn, New York.