Zeamă is the Moldovan chicken soup that no family holiday goes without and no cold is cured without. It is clear and golden, with homemade noodles, herbs and a distinctive sour edge that sets it apart from ordinary chicken broth. It is the soup you make for guests and for yourself when you need warming up.
What zeamă is and why it is sour
Unlike similar soups, zeamă is sour. The sourness comes from borș (in Moldova the word means a souring liquid made of wheat bran, not the red beetroot soup) or from lemon juice. It is the acid that keeps the broth light and stops it from tasting greasy. If you have never tried it, put in a little less and add more to taste in the bowl.
A good zeamă smells of chicken and fresh herbs, and the noodles in it are springy, not soft.
Which chicken to buy
The best zeamă comes from a free-range bird, but supermarket chicken works too. Take a whole bird or a quarter, with bones and skin: bones give the broth body, skin gives it a golden colour. Boneless breast makes the soup thin and bland.
Start with cold water and wait for it to boil: the meat gives up its flavour gradually, and the scum rises and is easy to skim. After skimming, lower the heat until the broth barely trembles. If it boils hard it turns cloudy.
Let us see where chicken is cheaper now. Below is the best offer in each store.
Where it is cheaper: chicken
- Pui broiler46.90 lei46.9 lei/kg
- Pulpe de pui refrigerate “Mezellini”
Family Marketuntil 28 Oct54.95 lei−19%67.90 lei54.95 lei/kg - Pelimeni porc/pui Nivalli 900g900g
Bonusuntil 31 Oct54.99 lei−38%89.30 lei61.1 lei/kg - AXEDUM Tocătură din pulpă de pui
Kauflanduntil 21 Oct69.50 lei−13%79.50 lei69.5 lei/kg - Fileu de pui
Slavenauntil 20 Oct76.95 lei−14%89.98 lei76.95 lei/kg - Pulpă de pui "Qualiko", 900 g.900 g
Jardiuntil 19 Oct70.90 lei−10%79.20 lei78.78 lei/kg - Salam fiert afumat de pui Puișor NIVALLI 1kg1kg
Localuntil 21 Oct79.99 lei−23%103.99 lei79.99 lei/kg - Piept de pui
Rogobuntil 21 Oct95.00 lei−4%99.00 lei95 lei/kg
Homemade noodles: five minutes of work
Noodles for zeamă are egg and flour dough, with no water or very little. The less water, the firmer the noodles. Knead a stiff dough, let it rest ten minutes, roll it into a thin sheet and let it dry a little so it does not stick. Roll it up and cut thin strips.
The eggs should be fresh, preferably large: they give the noodles colour and firmness. Here are today's offers.
In the catalogues now: eggs
This is not in the current catalogues right now: eggs. As soon as it shows up in a promotion, the cards will appear here.
Search the catalogues for something similarThe flour for noodles is plain wheat flour. If you have none at home, compare prices on our page about flour.
How to serve it
Zeamă is ladled into a deep bowl, sprinkled with chopped herbs (parsley, dill and, if you have it, lovage) and served with hot pepper and a slice of dark bread. Some people add a spoon of sour cream, but the classic version is eaten without.
Zeamă is eaten hot. Add the sour element right at the end so that it keeps its freshness.
How not to spoil it
- do not cook the noodles in advance: they swell and take all the broth;
- do not salt the broth at the start, salt towards the end;
- do not add much carrot: zeamă should be clear, not sweet;
- do not let the broth boil hard: it turns cloudy.
Zeamă for a feast and zeamă for a cold
In Moldova zeamă is made for a wedding and for when somebody has caught a cold. The wedding version has free-range chicken, a strong stock and thin noodles, and is served after the hot starters. The home "remedy" version is simpler: more carrot and onion, less sourness, and everyone adds their own pepper and garlic. The vegetables for zeamă are not fried: they are boiled whole and taken out, so the broth stays clear.
What to do with the leftovers
The chicken pulled from the bones can be served separately with mustard and bread, or left in the soup. The broth freezes well. Keep the noodles apart, dusted with flour, and add them to the hot broth before serving.
