Matzo ball soup — *knaidlach* (matzo dumplings) in a clear, golden chicken broth — is the defining comfort food of the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, served at Passover (when leavened bread is forbidden and matzo meal replaces flour), at Friday night Shabbat dinners, and whenever a Jewish grandmother determines that someone needs feeding. The matzo ball is a dumpling made from matzo meal (ground matzo), eggs, fat (chicken fat — *schmaltz* — or oil), and water or seltzer, formed into balls and simmered in broth until cooked through. The debate — floaters vs. sinkers — divides Jewish households with the same passion that Louisiana reserves for gumbo: floaters are light, fluffy, airy; sinkers are dense, compact, chewy. Both are correct. Neither side will yield.
Large, round dumplings (5-7cm diameter) floating in (or sinking to the bottom of) a clear, golden, deeply flavoured chicken broth. The broth should be rich enough to stand on its own — made from a whole chicken (or chicken backs and necks), onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, dill, and parsley, simmered for 3-4 hours and strained clear. The matzo ball should be evenly cooked throughout — no dense, raw centre — with a texture that ranges from cloud-light (floater) to satisfyingly dense (sinker).
The soup is the first course of a Jewish meal — Shabbat dinner, Passover seder, holiday celebrations. It is followed by a main course (roast chicken, brisket). The broth should be sipped between bites of the matzo ball. Challah bread on the table.
1) The broth is the dish — the matzo ball is the vehicle. A mediocre matzo ball in a magnificent broth is a good soup. A perfect matzo ball in a thin, flavourless broth is a failure. The chicken stock must be made with real chicken, real vegetables, and real time. 2) Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) is the traditional fat in the matzo ball — it provides flavour that no other fat matches. Oil is the substitute; it produces a lighter but less flavourful ball. Butter is not used (keeping the soup kosher for meat meals requires no dairy). 3) The floater technique: more fat, seltzer water (the carbonation adds air), gentle mixing, and a longer rest in the refrigerator (1-2 hours) before forming. The cold rest firms the fat and sets the structure. 4) The sinker technique: less fat, water instead of seltzer, more matzo meal, firmer forming. The denser mixture produces a compact ball that absorbs broth as it cooks. 5) Simmer in salted water or broth, covered, for 30-40 minutes without lifting the lid. The matzo balls expand during cooking — they need room and consistent heat.
Jewish penicillin: matzo ball soup is the acknowledged treatment for illness, heartbreak, grief, and the general condition of being alive. The claim is not entirely medical but it is not entirely unserious either — hot chicken broth has documented anti-inflammatory and mucosal-clearing properties. Dill in the broth and on the finished bowl — fresh dill is the herb most associated with Ashkenazi chicken soup. Its bright, anise-adjacent flavour cuts through the rich broth and provides the green note. Schmaltz is rendered from chicken skin and fat, cooked slowly with onion until the fat is liquid and clear and the skin is golden (*gribenes* — the Jewish cracklins, eaten as a snack or crumbled over dishes). The schmaltz is strained and refrigerated. It is the foundational cooking fat of Ashkenazi cuisine.
Lifting the lid during cooking — the temperature drops and the matzo balls collapse or cook unevenly. Not resting the dough — unrested dough produces matzo balls that fall apart during cooking. Minimum 30 minutes in the refrigerator; 1-2 hours is better. Under-cooking — a dense, raw centre in a matzo ball is the most common error. 30-40 minutes of gentle simmering for a standard-sized ball. Using water instead of good broth for serving — the matzo ball absorbs whatever liquid it sits in. In plain water, it tastes like nothing. In excellent broth, it tastes like the best thing you've ever eaten.
Joan Nathan — Jewish Cooking in America; Gil Marks — Encyclopedia of Jewish Food; Arthur Schwartz — Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food