Cauldron-Boiled Wild Boar with Onions and Juniper
Shoulder of wild boar (or pork) long-simmered in a cauldron with onions, leek and juniper, until the meat falls apart. The rich broth is then drunk from a horn. The centerpiece of a Norse veizla.
Shoulder of wild boar (or pork) long-simmered in a cauldron with onions, leek and juniper, until the meat falls apart. The rich broth is then drunk from a horn. The centerpiece of a Norse veizla.
When the great fire roars in the hall and the black cauldron has been boiling since dawn, I take my place unasked. Throw in the boar's shoulder, plenty of onions, three juniper berries, and let it simmer while three horns are emptied — the meat will yield by itself, tender as a god's confession. Serve the mighty first, seem humble… and listen well: it is between two bites that you learn all their secrets. Eat, laugh, and beware your neighbor.
- •Wild boar shoulder — a good piece (festival meat)
- •Onions (laukr) — several (aromatic base)
- •Wild leek — a few stalks (sweetness)
- •Juniper berries — a pinch (scent of the North)
- •Salt and barley — according to the cauldron (seasoning and broth thickener)
Cauldron-Boiled Wild Boar with Onions and Juniper
Shoulder of wild boar (or pork) long-simmered in a cauldron with onions, leek and juniper, until the meat falls apart. The rich broth is then drunk from a horn. The centerpiece of a Norse veizla.
Why this dish? Loki is invited to the table of the Æsir and giants: he is a god of banquets, eating and drinking with them before turning everything upside down. Stewed wild boar in the great cauldron is THE festive dish, shared in the long-fire hall where Loki sows discord.
When the great fire roars in the hall and the black cauldron has been boiling since dawn, I take my place unasked. Throw in the boar's shoulder, plenty of onions, three juniper berries, and let it simmer while three horns are emptied — the meat will yield by itself, tender as a god's confession. Serve the mighty first, seem humble… and listen well: it is between two bites that you learn all their secrets. Eat, laugh, and beware your neighbor.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild boar shoulder — a good piece (festival meat)
- Onions (laukr) — several (aromatic base)
- Wild leek — a few stalks (sweetness)
- Juniper berries — a pinch (scent of the North)
- Salt and barley — according to the cauldron (seasoning and broth thickener)
Ingredients
- Wild boar shoulder or pork neck — 1.2 kg (stewing piece)
- Onions — 3 (aromatic base)
- Leek — 1 (sweetness)
- Juniper berries — 10 (resinous flavor)
- Pearl barley — 100 g (thickens the broth)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Place meat in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer and skim.
- Add onions, leek, juniper and salt; simmer covered 2½ to 3 hours.
- Add barley in the last hour to thicken the broth.
- When meat falls apart with a fork, shred it coarsely.
- Serve meat with a little broth; drink the remaining broth separately.
How it was made : In Norse longhouses, cooking was mostly done by boiling in a cauldron hung over the central hearth: meat, grains and roots together. Wild boar was a prestige game (echoing the boar Sæhrímnir, eaten every evening in Valhalla and resurrected each morning). No potatoes or tomatoes: barley provided thickening.
The contemporary twist : Serve the shredded meat on a board with its broth in a small horn-bowl, under the name “the troublesome guest's portion.”
Loki · Charactorium