CEBU, Philippines — In the distant past, marrow bones only interested people looking for something to give to their pet dog as treat.
Then people learned to like marrow bones for themselves.
And then they discovered that it was good.
These past few years, there has been much buzz about the miraculous benefits of eating bone marrow. It’s always tricky when a food suddenly gets labeled as “superfood,” because it can make the line between fad and fact a little bit blurry, notes Cara Nicoletti in an article at https://food52.com.
The truth is, according to Nicoletti, bone marrow has been lauded for its health benefits for centuries by nearly every culture in the world. She adds that in Chinese cooking bone marrow is thought to support the chi and nourish the kidneys, and is often served in the form of rich broths. Marrow bones are used to make pho in Vietnamese cooking, Italian osso buco, French pot-au-feu, German Markklöbchen, Pilipino bulalo, South Asian nalli nihari – the list goes on! In the light of such fact, Nicoletti believes that bone marrow as part of a healthy diet isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan craze.
First and foremost, what is bone marrow? It is the soft, fatty tissue inside the cavity of large bones where blood cells are produced. Marrow is nutrient-dense and contains collagen for improved joint function, plus easily digestible forms of zinc, phosphorous, calcium, and iron. It is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, lipids, and Vitamin A.
Bone marrow has been shown to boost immunity and wound-healing, support brain and hormone function, and aid in digestion by rebuilding damaged intestinal lining.
Marrow bones can be used to make bone broth, or these can be roasted and the marrow used in the same way as one would use butter – spread on toast, eggs cooked or vegetables roasted with it, or it’s allowed to melt over a resting steak. Nicoletti describes the taste of bone marrow as deliciously rich and creamy, like meat-flavored butter. She adds a tip: If the bone marrow is the main event and it’s just to be spread on bread, some acid (lemon or vinegar) will help cut the fatty richness.
Now, here’s a simple Filipino bone marrow soup recipe that seems to be everybody’s favorite:
Bulalo
Ingredients:
2 kg beef bone marrow, chopped into several pieces
1 kg boneless beef shank or stewing beef
1 pc onion, peeled and sliced
4 pcs thumb-size ginger, crushed
3 liters water
4 pcs medium-size pechay leaves
3 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Blanch bone marrow and boneless beef shank in hot boiling water for a while and rinse in cold running tap water to remove scum and blood.
2. Put bone marrow, ginger and onion in a stockpot, pour in the 3 liters of water and allow to boil.
3. Lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
4. Add the boneless beef shank or stewing beef and continue to boil.
5. Lower heat and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 to 1½ hours.
6. Add the pechay leaves, and simmer until the leaves are cooked and crunchy (about 3 to 5 minutes).
7. Stir in patis, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with rice.