Zeamă is the Moldovan Sunday chicken soup, its signature sourness coming from borș — fermented wheat-bran liquid — and brightened with lovage. Light and tangy, it is the restorative broth of the weekend table.
Spoon up zeamă — pale-golden clear broth with shredded chicken, tender noodles, parsley and dill flecks. Bite: chicken's clean flavor, noodles silky, borș's distinctive tangy-fermented sour cutting through, lovage's celery-herb depth. The fermented sour is the Moldovan signature absent in any other chicken soup. With dark bread, this is Chișinău Sunday lunch.
Slow gentle simmering keeps broth clear. Borș (fermented bran liquid) provides unique fermented-sour flavor. Lovage is the signature herb.
Variations
With added vegetables (potato, peas). With lemon instead of borș. Without noodles. With added rice. With dumplings. Cold version in summer.
On the Palate
Where Zeamă Moldovan sits in the Moldovan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
10 steps · 30 min active · 60 min waiting
- 14 min
Place 1 whole chicken (1.5 kg) in a large pot with 3 L cold water + 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 parsley root, 2 bay leaves, 6 peppercorns, 1 tsp salt.
- 26 min
Bring slowly to a simmer; skim scum.
- 362 min
Simmer 60 min until chicken is cooked through.
- 414 min
Remove chicken; cool slightly; pull meat off bones; shred.
- 54 min
Strain broth; discard vegetables.
- 62 min
Return broth to pot; bring to a simmer.
- 75 min
Add 200 g fresh egg noodles; cook 4 min until tender.
- 82 min
Add shredded chicken back; stir in 200 ml borș (or 100 ml lemon juice as substitute) + 1 tbsp chopped lovage + 2 tbsp chopped dill + 1 tbsp chopped parsley.
- 91 min
Taste; adjust salt and acid.
- 101 min
Serve hot in deep bowls.
