Pottage
Pottage | |
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Stew | |
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Place of origin: | |
Great Britain | |
Main ingredient(s): | |
Vegetables, grains, meat or fish | |
Recipes at Wikibooks: | |
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Media at Wikimedia Commons: | |
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Pottage is a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and, if available, meat or fish.
It was a staple food of all people living in Great Britain from neolithic times on into the Middle Ages.[citation needed] The word pottage comes from the same Old French root as potage, which is a similar type of dish of more recent origin.
Pottage commonly consisted of various ingredients easily available to serfs and peasants and could be kept over the fire for a period of days, during which time some of it was eaten and more ingredients added. The result was a dish that was constantly changing. Pottage consistently remained a staple of the poor's diet throughout most of the 9th-17th-century Europe. When people of higher economic rank, such as nobles, ate pottage, they would add more expensive ingredients such as meats. The pottage that these people ate was much like modern day soups. [citation needed]
Preparation
Pottage was typically boiled for several hours until the entire mixture took on a homogeneous texture and flavor; this was intended to break down complex starches and to ensure the food was safe for consumption. It was often served, when possible, with bread.
See also
References
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