During flu season, many people turn to home remedies. Eastern Europe has goggle mogul, a mixture of milk, egg yolk, and honey that is both loved and feared. (The article was first broadcast in the morning edition on November 30, 2023.)
Asma Khalid, host:
As long as there have been sniffles, there have been home remedies for sniffles. For people with Eastern European roots, one of those treatments is known as gogl-mogl. As Deena Pritchep reports, it's like a childhood memory, both good and bad.
Dina Pritchep, BYLINE: It's difficult to pinpoint the first appearance of gogl-mogl.
Eve Johonowitz: It's like chicken soup. It was always there.
Prichep: Eve Johonowitz is a Yiddish teacher who studies the history of Jewish food.
Johonowitz: First, grind the sugar or honey, mix it with the egg yolks, then add the hot milk and mix.
Prichep: There are slightly different versions of this recipe. Sometimes a shot of brandy or Slivovitz was thrown in, sometimes chocolate. And Johonowitz says it was found throughout Europe.
Johonowicz: I think it goes from Czechoslovakia in the west to the border of the Russian Empire in the east.
Prichep: And with immigration, the Goggle Moguls invaded America. The late New York City Mayor Ed Koch announced his own version at a 1987 press conference.
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Ed Koch: My suggestion is, at a minimum — if you really want to beat the cold — goggle-moggle at least three times a day.
(laughs)
Pritchep: In a recent interview on WHYY's Fresh Air, singer Barbra Streisand recalled her mother recommending the song to her after her first real gig.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
Barbra Streisand: The first thing I remember she said was, “You need an egg in your voice.” You will need to make your voice stronger, so you will need to use her goggles.
Prichep: Now, some people have fond memories of their parents or grandparents bringing them goggle-moggles to their hospital beds, especially if the eggs were raw, like the goggle-moggles that Barbra Streisand's mother made. , many were afraid of it.
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Streisand: I could never swallow that – hmm.
Prichep: This concoction has become more memorable, perhaps due to the increase in over-the-counter medicines and the decreased tolerance to giving raw eggs and alcohol to children. According to Polish food writer Michal Korkosz, goggle moguls can still be found as a dessert in Eastern Europe. And even then it is considered a relic of the past.
Michal Korkos: During the communist era, when there were no sweets in stores, my mother would often make goggle mogul at home.
Pricep: The Polish version is more like egg foam, a cloud of whipped eggs and sugar, kind of like the beginning of a sponge cake.
Korkosh: It's very fluffy. It's very creamy. There is richness there.
Prichep: But Korkos says that sometimes, when someone was sick, his grandmother poured a little warm milk and turned this dessert into a medicine.
Korkosh: It's a sweet snack, but for some reason, when you add milk to it, it becomes medicine (lol).
Prichep: So the question arises, does Goggle Mogul actually have any medicinal value? Dr. Diane Pappas is a pediatrician at the University of Virginia who studies cough management in children. She says, well.
Diane Pappas: There's no hard evidence that honey helps with coughs. There's some research that says it might help a little bit. It's not very high quality, but it's all we have.
Prichep: Papas says if you want Goggle Mogul, go for it. Calories and warm fluids always help. As long as the eggs are fully cooked and you don't give the baby honey, it's fine.
Papas: I don't know if there are any disadvantages to not adding alcohol. I don't know if there are any big benefits.
Pritchep: Pappas says you can't ethically prescribe a placebo, but that emotion can influence all kinds of actions people take in hopes of feeling better. And, says Polish food writer Michal Korkosz, there's also the comfort of tradition.
Korkosh: I always liken the food I grew up eating to being like a warm blanket. It's very cozy and very delicious. It reminds me of the happiest time in my life.
Prichep: This might be the best thing to do if you're feeling under the weather.
For NPR News, I'm Deena Pritchep.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG “HOME REMEDY”)
Adrian Young: (Singing) When you put your arms around me, it's home therapy. I know the workday is over. Please tell me I can't live. Just sit and putter.
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