Pea soup
Pea soup is a soup or stew made from dried, and rarely fresh, peas . It is one of the traditional dishes in many countries, although the methods of preparation differ depending on the region.
preparation
To prepare a classic pea soup, dried green or yellow peas are soaked for several hours (which is not necessary with split and peeled or fresh peas) and boiled in soaking water until they are soft, only then is salt or salted broth added, as salt significantly reduces the cooking time would extend. Depending on the recipe the soup with herbs such as marjoram and thyme seasoned, passed through a sieve, with bacon , cured meats like Kassel or sausage enriched with potatoes , onions and other soup vegetables added. The consistency of pea soup is usually creamy to pulpy, such as the Berlin spoonbill peas . The cooked peas can be pureed with a hand blender .
history
Peas, which are among the legumes richest in protein , come from the Near East , have been cultivated in Europe for at least 6000 years and since then, like lentils and beans, have been part of the staple food of the poorer population. In Aristophanes ' comedy The Birds from the 5th century BC Pea soup is mentioned, which was already being sold in the streets of Athens at that time . In Sweden and Finland , pea soup is a traditional Thursday dish to fortify yourself for the Friday fast . The sweet pancakes that follow traditionally "compensate" for the simple meal. The Swedish King Erik XIV is said to have been murdered with a poisoned pea soup.
Peas and pea soup played an important role in seafaring because dried peas have a very long shelf life. It is said that a pulpy pea soup on the schooner Christiane with various side dishes such as salted meat , plums or fish was served to the team four times a week. Since there were also captains who only supplied their crew with pea soup, the Hamburg shipping register from the 19th century stipulated on which days and how the pea soup could be served. Pea soup was the basis of the diet on other ships as well.
The pea soup, which was considered a sign of poverty and was then widely used as a food for the military , was offered as one of the first industrial ready-made dishes under the name of pea sausage since 1867 ; Their production was discontinued at the end of 2018.
Web links
- The secret of pea soup - Zeitmagazin No. 51/2015
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jürgen Rath: Schiffszwieback, Pökelfleisch und Koje , p. 253. Koehler Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2004, 1st edition. ISBN 3-7822-0892-7