Medieval Fast Food [ENG.]

Perpetual stew

A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter's pot or hunter's stew, is a pot into which whatever foodstuffs one can find is placed and cooked. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer, if properly maintained. The concept is often a common element in descriptions of medieval inns. Foods prepared in a perpetual stew have been described as being flavorful due to the manner in which the ingredients blend together. Various ingredients can be used in a perpetual stew such as root vegetables, tubers (onion, carrot, garlic, parsnip, turnip, etc.), and various meats. Historical examples Perpetual stews are speculated to have been common in medieval cuisine, often as pottage or pot-au-feu: Bread, water or ale, and a ...