With the proverb “gallina vieja hace buen caldo” (Old chickens make the best soup) iNMSOL wants to talk indirectly about the importance of the experience. This is one of those sayings that come from past times, very old. We will know the origin of this phrase and also its literal and figurative meaning.
In ancient times it used to have chicken coops in the backyard and food needed to be planned and rationed, since food was not abundant. You could not cook a laying hen in the oven, because that meant losing eggs; older hens, those that had little use, were used to prepare food. That is why literally an old chicken is the best to make a rich broth.
“Gallina vieja hace buen caldo” also has a figurative meaning, that is to say that an adult and who has lived different situations is more “good, rich”, or more wise, because the experiences lived through the years help to better understand the stuff. That the experiences are good or bad, right or wrong, are always a teaching not to make the same mistakes again or to improve what is already known.
The saying is also applied when talking about quality things and the benefits of catching or using them, that is, buying something of higher quality would be the chicken, and the good results that come out would be the good broth. Sometimes this saying is also used in more private areas, such as when young people prefer older women because they have much more experience.
Talking about sentimental relationships, elderly people or things of superior quality, what is older is always better.