FAD to the BONE

Marco Canora, the chef-owner of Brodo in New York City — where customers line up to buy hot bone broth from a takeout window for $10 a cup — calls bone broth the “superfood that never made it onto the list of superfoods.”

Traditional to cultures on every continent, the making of rich, gelatinous broths dates back to times when animals were slaughtered at home (or very nearby) and nothing went to waste. So that pot on the back of your grandmother’s stove connects to another rising foodie fad: using up leftovers, byproducts and the parts of animals and vegetables that don’t normally get eaten.

But bone broth is more than a fad; it’s a tradition that’s being rediscovered. Its rich flavor has made it a standby for generations of chefs, an essential component of the mother sauces that underlie classic cuisine and the reason why restaurant soups and stews often taste better than those made at home.

It’s also a health food. The minerals and collagen in broth made from large quantities of chicken, beef, pork, lamb or fish bones contribute to its longstanding reputation as a cure for colds and stomach ailments, and its high level of easily absorbed calcium can be a boon for people who avoid dairy products.

How does bone broth differ from everyday stock — the kind sold in boxes and cans in the supermarket? It’s stronger and thicker, with the high level of gelatin extracted from the bones giving it body and a characteristic jiggle when cool. It can be cooked down even further into an almost solid demi-glace, which can be frozen and reconstituted with water when needed.

The rich broth is all about the bones, simmered in water for 24 to 48 hours, along with bits of meat, fat and aromatic vegetables (such as carrots, onions, celery