Answer:
Stocks are flavorful liquids used in the preparation of soups, sauces, and stews, derived by gently simmering various ingredients in water. They are based on meat, poultry, fish, game, or seafood, and flavored with mirepoix, herbs, and spices. Vegetable stocks are prepared with an assortment of produce, or intensely flavored with a single ingredient, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, or leeks.
There are different French terms used for stocks, including; fond, broth, bouillon, fumet, and nage. The term fond, meaning base, is a fitting definition for these liquids because they are the foundation of many different food preparations. The terms stock, broth, and bouillon can be confusing but they are essentially quite similar. A broth is usually made from simmered meats, while a stock is made from the bones. A bouillon, from the French term bouillir, meaning to boil, can be any liquid produced by simmering ingredients in water. Fumet is a concentrated liquid that often contains wine, and nage, meaning to swim, refers to cooking ingredients in a court bouillon, and is often associated with shellfish.
