Avgolemono

Avgolemono, also known as egg-lemon sauce, is a delicious and versatile staple in numerous cuisines, including Greek, Turkish, Arab, Sephardic Jewish, Balkan, and Italian. Each culture has its own name for this sauce: agristada or salsa blanco in Sephardic Jewish cuisine, bagna brusca, brodettato, or brodo brusco in Italian, tarbiya or beida bi-lemoune in Arabic, and terbiye in Turkish. It's used in a variety of dishes, from warm dolmas and artichokes to stews, and as a flavorful sauce for chicken or fish in Middle Eastern dishes.

But avgolemono isn't just a sauce; it's also enjoyed as a comforting soup. This soup typically begins with chicken broth, though meat, fish, or vegetable broths can also be used. Rice, orzo, pastina, or even tapioca are cooked in the broth before a mixture of eggs and lemon is added, creating a soup that can range from a thick stew to a light broth. Often, the soup is served with pieces of meat and vegetables that were cooked in the broth. A popular variation is the Greek magiritsa soup, made with lamb offal and traditionally served to break the fast of Great Lent.

When it comes to making avgolemono soup, whole eggs are usually used, but sometimes just the yolks are preferred. Some recipes call for beating the egg whites into a foam before mixing them with the yolks and lemon juice, while others simply beat whole eggs with lemon juice. The starch from the pasta or rice helps to stabilize the sauce, ensuring a smooth and creamy consistency.

Historically, Sephardic Jews in Iberia made a similar sauce using verjuice, pomegranate juice, or bitter orange juice before lemons became the go-to souring agent. This rich culinary tradition highlights the diverse uses and cultural importance of avgolemono across different cuisines.