Gaina de casa
Also: Home hen soup, Supă de găină de casă, Moldovan chicken broth
A Moldovan festive soup of free-range hen simmered slowly into a rich golden broth, a Sunday-table centerpiece.
Identity criteria
- 1Made from an older free-range farm hen (găină de casă), not a young broiler
- 2Long, gentle simmering to extract a deep, golden, fat-flecked broth
- 3Root vegetables (carrot, onion, parsnip, celery) cooked into the broth
- 4Served as a clear nourishing soup, the meat then eaten or returned to the bowl
- 5A festive, Sunday or celebration centerpiece rather than weekday fare
Components
Noodles or rice (optional)optionalSometimes added; many versions keep it a clear broth.
Free-range hen (găină de casă)essentialA mature laying hen gives the deep flavour and golden fat.
Onion, carrot, parsnip, celery rootessentialClassic Moldovan/Romanian soup vegetables.
Water becoming brothessentialSlowly drawn from the hen into a rich stock.
Salt, peppercornsoptionalLight seasoning lets the hen flavour lead.
Fresh parsley or lovage (leuștean)optionalLovage is the characteristic herb of the region.
Technique
- Slow simmering of a mature hen
- An older bird needs long gentle cooking to tenderize and to give the broth its signature richness and golden fat.
- Skimming
- Removing scum keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting.
- Vegetable infusion
- Root vegetables and lovage build the rounded aromatic backbone of the soup.
Form & serving
- Served
- In a bowl, broth with meat and vegetables, herbs on top
- Temperature
- hot
- Portion
- main course
- Pairs with
- fresh bread · hot pepper · mămăligă (polenta) · sour cream
Character
Flavour
Texture
rich golden broth with tender simmered meat and soft vegetables
Eaten
A festive Sunday and celebration soup in Moldovan homes, served as the nourishing centerpiece of a family meal, often with polenta and bread.
When
all-year · autumn · winter
Variations & related
Regional variations
- Zeamă · Moldova
A closely related sour Moldovan chicken-noodle soup soured with borș (fermented wheat bran).
- Supă de găină · Romania
The Romanian clear hen soup, very close kin.
Related dishes
- sibling Zeamă
The soured Moldovan chicken-noodle soup using the same hen base.
- sibling Supă de găină
The Romanian counterpart clear hen soup.
- pairs-with Mămăligă
Cornmeal polenta often served alongside.
Substitutions
Free-range hen → Standard supermarket chickenadmissible
Works but yields a thinner, paler, less flavourful broth — loses much of what makes it special.
Lovage (leuștean) → Parsley and celery leafadmissible
Acceptable but lovage is the signature Moldovan aroma.
Slow-simmered hen broth → Bouillon-cube stockinadmissible
Breaks the whole identity of a homemade hen soup.
Common mistakes
- Using a young broiler so the broth lacks depth and golden fat
- Boiling hard instead of gently simmering, making the broth cloudy and the meat stringy
- Skipping the skimming step
- Over-seasoning so the delicate hen flavour is lost
Provenance
A Moldovan rural and festive dish built around the prized home-raised hen, traditional Sunday and celebration fare in the Romanian-Moldovan culinary sphere.
Claimed by: Moldova
References
- 1.Moldovan and Romanian home cooking
- 2.Balkan soup tradition
Confidence: high