Split Pea Soup
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A Deeper Look into the History of Pea Soup
Pea soup is one of the most popular and simple soups to make, whether it is cooked with just the peas and a bit of onion or with welcomed vegetables and meats for additional flavor. Pureed makes is creamy and when there are many ingredients cooked with pea soup, it is hearty and filling while the soup thickens naturally.
Dining etiquette suggested much the same thing. Not only was pea soup regarded as an appetizer, it was also appropriate to serve the pureed soup along with the other dinner items because of its ability to go well with many different types of foods.
Another way to enjoy pea soup and particularly when it is a family dinner at home is to serve it in a bowl with many ingredients made a part of the soup, such as ham, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and of course, delicious seasonings. Cornbread, rolls, or fresh sliced hot bread makes a delightfully satisfying accompaniment to the meal and sends everyone from the table warm, full, and content.
This idea was around for many years and made a written guideline by Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife in 1753, when a recipe for Peas Pottage called for the use of peas, water, vegetables such as cabbage and spinach, and some beef. For those who think stir-fry is a new idea, Ms. Smith included instructions to heat butter in a skillet and put in the herbs to fry. Other ingredients filled the pan and the serving bowl, resulting in a filling meal, rather than several courses consisting of the same foods.
Those who have made pea soup know that it dries out rather quickly. Someone discovered long ago that it was easy to carry the dry product in a paper wrapping and then add it to a bowl with water, stir it up and have soup along a journey. Therefore, pea soup became one of the original instant dinners because of its tendency to expand and dry. To a world without plastic containers, refrigerators, freezers and dehydrators, it meant the difference of going hungry during a long trip or having some nutrition to keep strength up.
Another interesting part of history concerning pea soup is the way it can change each time it is used. Pea soup used to hang in a heavy cooking pot over the fire, with water added as needed to keep it from burning and vegetables, meat and stock added when available.
A turnip, leek, bit of bacon or ham added a new flavor to the soup and perhaps an onion would change the taste again a few days after that. At times, a group of people would contribute the food they had, no matter how little, to a large pot and make a satisfying meal for all rather than a meager portion for a few. The story of Stone Soup was a good children’s story likely based on an event the author saw.
So with all this history behind it, what exactly makes pea soup a soup, regardless of how it is cooked? Amazingly enough, the ingredients have little to do with the final resolution of why pea soup, despite the levels of thickness, is a soup.
Proper etiquette says that soup should have enough liquid that it requires eating with a spoon rather than a fork or fingers. Regardless of its consistency, pea soup will always be spoon-certified, a wonderful prelude to, inclusion with or completely solo by itself dinner.
