Broth or Stock?

      I've never been quite sure about the difference between broth and stock.  I often use the terms interchangeably.  But the two are not the same.  After some investigation I discovered that you can use stock to make broth, but not the other way around.  They differ both culturally  and in colloquial terminology.

     Stock is the thin liquid that is produced by simmering raw ingredients, then removing the solids.  This leaves a thin, highly flavored and concentrated liquid.  There are several classic stocks made from beef, veal, chicken, fish and vegetables, like mirepoix, a combination of onions, carrots and celery.

     Broth, on the other hand, is more of a soup where solid pieces of the flavoring meat, or fish, or vegetables remain in the simmering liquid.

     According to Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking:  The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the word stock as it's applied in the kitchen reflects the professional cook's approach to sauce making.  It derives from an old Germanic root meaning "tree trunk," and has more than 60 related meanings revolving around the idea of basic materials, sources, and supplies.  It's thus the culinary application of a very general term, and was first used in the 18th Century.  Much more specific and ancient is broth, which goes back to 1000 CE and a Germanic root bru meaning "to prepare by boiling" and the material so prepared, both it and the boiling liquid.

     Still confused?  So am I.