The science of Cantonese soups and the gut health benefits – just don’t boil too long

In the first instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on food and health, Lisa Cam unpacks the enduring ritual of Cantonese soup, revealing what modern science says about family recipes, seasonal ingredients and the modern workarounds keeping this domestic staple on the table. In many Chinese households, soups are seen as a show of love from the cook – usually the matriarch of the family. Soup can be everyday food or a banquet course made with ingredients according to the season. The...