Aigo Boulido

Provence's restorative 'boiled water': a clear broth of water simmered with a whole head of garlic and a handful of sage, enriched with olive oil and an egg, and poured over bread, the peasant cure-all of which it is said 'aigo boulido sauvo la vido', boiled water saves your life

Origin: Provence, France

From the journey of Sage.

Aigo boulido, 'boiled water' in Provençal, is the most humble and most trusted of all Provençal soups, the broth made when the body is tired, the stomach upset, the weather cold, or the larder bare. It is little more than water simmered with garlic and sage, finished with olive oil and poured over stale bread, yet it is so esteemed as a restorative that the old saying runs aigo boulido sauvo la vido, boiled water saves your life. The sage is essential, not incidental: with the garlic it makes a fragrant, digestive, faintly medicinal broth that is the very embodiment of sage's double nature as food and cure. Eaten the morning after a feast, given to the sick and the new mother, made for centuries by people with almost nothing, aigo boulido is peasant cooking raised to something close to medicine.

Ingredients

Broth

  • 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  • 1 large handful fresh sage (about 12 leaves)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1.2 litres water
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt

To finish

  • 2 egg yolks (optional, to enrich)

To serve

  • 4 slices stale country bread, toasted, to serve
  • 40 g grated Gruyère or Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Put the peeled garlic cloves, sage, bay leaves, water, half the olive oil, and the salt into a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the garlic is soft and the broth is fragrant.
  2. Strain the broth, pressing the soft garlic through the sieve into the liquid to enrich it (or leave the cloves whole if you like). Discard the bay and spent sage. Taste and adjust the salt.
  3. If enriching with egg, whisk the yolks in a bowl with a ladle of the hot (not boiling) broth, then stir this back into the pot off the heat; do not let it boil or it will curdle.
  4. Put a slice of toasted bread in each bowl, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and ladle the hot broth over. Scatter with cheese if using.
  5. Serve very hot, as a restorative first course or a light supper.

Notes

There are as many versions as there are Provençal grandmothers: some add a strip of orange peel, a few cloves, or a little vermicelli; some keep it austere with just sage, garlic, and oil. The sage and garlic are the two constants. The egg-yolk enrichment turns it from a thin broth into something more substantial; leave it out for the plainest, most medicinal version.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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