proverb · Words worth keeping
It’s the old hen that makes good broth.
It’s the old hen that makes good broth.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An old hen making good broth presents an older thing as capable of valued contribution. The saying questions a simple preference for youth or novelty.
Example
Someone considers an experienced colleague’s relevant contribution instead of dismissing it because of age.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The image is not a food-preparation or safety rule, and its precise traditional context is unverified. A qualified human reading can value experience without reducing people to usefulness or assuming age guarantees quality. Contributions should be assessed fairly in their actual context.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified age-and-value image.
Keep in mind
No food guidance, expertise guaranteed by age or instrumental worth of people is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Greece
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- Greece