flipThe Ordinary's Pea and Salt Pork Broth
The Ordinary's Pea and Salt Pork Broth
Why this dish? This was the daily dish for La Pérouse's men: dried peas and salt pork, thickened with crumbled ship's biscuit that formed the bottom of the holds. Over months in the Pacific, this thick broth was the sailors' fuel between port calls.
A hearty soup of split peas simmered with salt pork, flavored with onion and herbs, into which the famous ship's biscuit is crumbled for body. Fortifying and economical, it stuck to the stomach in all weather.
Believe me, my friend, on the vastness of the South Sea a man can only steer himself if his belly is full. My men received this broth in their mess bowls: peas set to swell the night before, a good piece of pork from the barrel, and the biscuit crumbled into it because it's too hard for the teeth. I myself made sure the pot was rich and hot, for a hungry crew is a murmuring crew, and you don't lead two frigates to the ends of the earth with discontented men.
- •Dried split peas — two good handfuls per man (nourishing base)
- •Salt pork (from barrel) — a good piece (fat and salt)
- •Crumbled ship's biscuit — as needed (thickener, body)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Thyme and bay leaf — one sprig (flavor)
- •Fresh water, pepper — as needed (cooking, seasoning)
The Ordinary's Pea and Salt Pork Broth
A hearty soup of split peas simmered with salt pork, flavored with onion and herbs, into which the famous ship's biscuit is crumbled for body. Fortifying and economical, it stuck to the stomach in all weather.
Why this dish? This was the daily dish for La Pérouse's men: dried peas and salt pork, thickened with crumbled ship's biscuit that formed the bottom of the holds. Over months in the Pacific, this thick broth was the sailors' fuel between port calls.
Believe me, my friend, on the vastness of the South Sea a man can only steer himself if his belly is full. My men received this broth in their mess bowls: peas set to swell the night before, a good piece of pork from the barrel, and the biscuit crumbled into it because it's too hard for the teeth. I myself made sure the pot was rich and hot, for a hungry crew is a murmuring crew, and you don't lead two frigates to the ends of the earth with discontented men.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried split peas — two good handfuls per man (nourishing base)
- Salt pork (from barrel) — a good piece (fat and salt)
- Crumbled ship's biscuit — as needed (thickener, body)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Thyme and bay leaf — one sprig (flavor)
- Fresh water, pepper — as needed (cooking, seasoning)
Ingredients
- Yellow split peas — 250 g (base)
- Half-salt pork belly — 200 g (fat and salt)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Carrot — 1 (sweetness)
- Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf) — 1 (flavor)
- Stale bread or croutons — 2 slices (replaces ship's biscuit)
- Water — 1.5 L (cooking)
- Pepper — 1 pinch (seasoning)
Method
- Soak the split peas for 1 hour (optional with modern peas).
- Desalt the pork belly for 30 minutes in cold water, then dice into lardons.
- Sauté the lardons, diced onion, and carrot in a pot.
- Add the drained peas, bouquet garni, and water; bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the peas break down into a coarse purée.
- Crumble the stale bread into the soup to thicken, season with pepper, and serve piping hot.
How it was made : On board, dried peas and salt pork were staples of the royal stores, packed in barrels for years. The ship's biscuit, twice-baked and hard as stone, was soaked or crumbled into soup to become edible. Cooking was done in the great cauldron of the ship's galley under strict supervision due to fire risk.
The contemporary twist : Serve the broth in a tin bowl with a slice of grilled bread stuck into it, 'watch mess' style, and a twist of black pepper to awaken the pork's umami.
Jean-François de La Pérouse · Charactorium
