Pottage

Pottage is a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and sometimes meat or fish. It has medieval roots and was a staple food for many centuries, especially for poorer people. The word "pottage" comes from Old French and means food cooked in a pot.

People often made pottage with ingredients that were easy to find, like vegetables and grains. It could stay warm over a fire for days, and people would eat some and add more ingredients as they had them. This made pottage a dish that changed over time.

For most of Europe from the 9th to the 17th century, pottage was a regular part of meals for poorer families. Richer people might add more expensive foods like meat to their pottage, making it more special. Today, pottage is much like the soups we know, but it has a long history as a simple and filling meal.

Preparation

Pottage was usually boiled for many hours until everything mixed together into one texture and flavor. This helped break down tough parts and made the food safe to eat. When possible, it was served with bread.

Biblical references

In the King James Bible, there is a story about Jacob and Esau from the Book of Genesis. Esau, who was very hungry, traded his important rights as the oldest son to Jacob for a meal of "bread and pottage of lentils". This story is why we sometimes say "a mess of pottage" to describe a bad deal where someone makes a quick choice that leads to bigger problems later.

Another Bible story from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition tells of the prophet Elisha. He helped clean up a pot of food that had been made unsafe, ensuring it was safe to eat for others.

England

Pottage was a common food in medieval England. People usually made it with grains, vegetables, and sometimes meat. In Middle English, thick pottages were given different names like brewet and mortrew. One special type called frumenty used wheat grain, milk or almond milk, and spices.

An old cookbook from King Richard II’s chefs includes pottage recipes, such as one with cabbage, ham, onions, and leeks. During the Tudor period, many peasants mainly ate pottage along with vegetables they grew themselves, like carrots. A recipe from the 1600s mixed boiled mutton, oatmeal, and many herbs and flowers.

France

Potage was a common dish in the medieval cuisine of northern France, and it became more popular from the High Middle Ages onward. The word "potage" as a culinary term appeared as early as the mid-13th century, describing many boiled and simmered foods. Some potages were very liquid, while others were more solid with ingredients like bread, pulses, or rice that soaked up the liquid.

The essential part of potages was broth made from meat, fowl, fish, or vegetables. Some potages were simple broths; others included veal, boar, various birds, and fish; some had only vegetables like leeks, marrows, and lettuce. The many types of potages are similar to those found in older cookbooks.

Colonial America

Native American cuisine had a similar dish made with maize instead of European grains. This dish, called Indian succotash or Indian pottage, was made by boiling corn and, when available, meat such as venison, bear, moose, otter, raccoon, or beaver. Fish like shad, eel, or herring could also be used. Sometimes kidney beans and vegetables such as Jerusalem artichoke, pumpkin, and squash were added. Ground nuts like acorns, chestnuts, or walnuts were used to make the pottage thicker.

In the cuisine of New England, pottage started as a simple mix of beans, vegetables, seasonings, and meat, fowl, or fish. This staple of early American cuisine later developed into the chowders and baked beans common in New England today. Pottages might have been served at the First Thanksgiving.

Spanish cuisine

In Spanish cuisine, special church days called "festa doble" sometimes meant having two potaje meals. On meat days, one meal might be a rice or noodle dish with cheese, and the other a meat stew (Catalan) cooked with wine, vinegar, parsley, saffron, and spices. On fish days, people would enjoy spinach from monastery gardens with peppers, or cabbage or lettuce if spinach wasn’t available. This would be followed by a dish made from semolina, noodles, rice in almond milk, or groats with cinnamon.

Nigeria

In Nigeria, yam pottage is a tasty dish made with vegetables and often served with fish or meat. It is a special and yummy way people enjoy their meals.

Wales

Wales has a dish similar to pottage called cawl. Cawl is a broth or stew that people cook slowly over a fire for many days. It is made in a special fireplace called an inglenook and includes ingredients like potatoes and leeks.