March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

A Souper New Year> Franco-Amerian tradition of eating split-pea soup on Jan. 1 is said to guarantee future prosperity in the new year

Before leaving for a two-week study in England, my good friend Judy Gervais Eyerer told me about one of her family’s food customs. While she was growing up in Houlton, the Gervais family, much to her brothers’ and sisters’ dismay, always had pea soup on New Year’s Day. Her taste buds have matured, and although her children don’t appreciate it, she and her husband both love a good bowl of pea soup. She graciously allowed that I might share her delicious recipe with my readers, if I could find out why some Franco-Americans here in Maine start the New Year with pea soup.

The first step in my research was to understand the agricultural history of the pea. Archaeologists believe that this ancient legume was cultivated nearly 12,000 years ago. From the Middle East, the green pea spread throughout the Mediterranean, India and China. Historians date the split pea, both green and yellow, back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Peas then were rarely eaten fresh, but were dried and stored for eating during the long, lean winters. They were a source of protein that was cheap, nourishing and filling.

The Italians, French and Spanish all enthusiastically adopted peas into their cuisine. Christopher Columbus is said to have introduced the pea to the Americas, planting them on Santo Domingo in 1492. Thomas Jefferson, our foresightted agronomist president, cataloged more than 50 varieties of his favorite vegetable.

The French, it seems, have always had a love affair with peas. The French courtesan, Ninon de Lendus, (who was said to have had 5,000 lovers during her romantic career in the 1600s) found pureed peas to be an aphrodisiac. As the French settled Canada and the Allagash, they brought with them many of the food traditions of their homeland, and for sheer survival, adapted them to the ways of the new world.

As I scoured my cookbooks for pea soup recipes, I was hoping for references to the New Year’s custom. The recipe described as a favorite Franco-American soup in a Waterville church publication led me on a telephone search of the pockets of Franco-American culture here in Maine. In interviewing people from Waterville, Lewiston and the Allagash, I found that while many of them could trace their roots back to France via northern Maine, none could answer my question of why they eat pea soup on New Year’s Day.

Mrs. Gervais, who explained to me that she was not of French descent, said that her husband’s grandmother had always insisted upon it. The elder Mrs. Gervais believed it was the “gospel truth” that if you ate pea soup on New Year’s, then you should have money all the next year. Her children back then, and now even her grandchildren, don’t much care for pea soup, but the family still observes the old French custom.

Still puzzled as to the rationale for my friend’s family cooking tradition, I consulted the resources of Brownie Schrumpf once more. She wrote, “Making recipes from scratch has much to offer — it acquaints one with the older and simpler methods of cooking.” To acquaint myself, I went to prepare my version of pea soup.

I approached my refrigerator filled with holiday leftovers in much the same way I theorize that the thrifty Franco-American wife must have approached her ice box. This was an opportunity to clean up the remains of the Christmas feast, relying on an old staple — split peas — and provide my family with a marvelously robust and economical meal.

Into the soup went the remains of the ham dinner, and the pot tendered all day on the back of the stove. At the end of the day, it was set out in the cold room for the flavors to mellow. The pot of pea soup would then be produced on New Year’s to provide my family with the soul-atisfying sustenance for “bonne chance” — good luck — in the New Year.

My resolution for this New Year is to embrace the true flavor of Maine cooking. To do this, I will seek out the farmers, fishermen and family cooks that contribute to our elusive and very special Maine cuisine. To you and your families, may you have pea soup in the New Year.

To make her pea soup, my friend Judy first makes a boiled ham dinner. She refrigerates the stock from boiling the ham, removes the layer of fat on the top, and uses it to cook the peas. She simmers the ham bone with the split peas, removing the meat and adding it to the soup.

I like to boil my ham bone so much that the meat falls off the bone, and I use the leftover meat in the soup. Whatever method you prefer, the taste of ham stock makes all the difference in the world. The vegetables and fresh herbs may vary, depending upon the leftovers in your refrigerator.

New Year’s Pea Soup

1 pound green split peas 2 quarts ham stock 1 medium onion, cut into quarters 2 bay leaves 1 cup chopped bell peppers (red, yellow and green) 1 cup chopped carrots 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 cup or more of cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces 1 tablespoon fresh dill (if available), finely chopped

Wash and sort peas. Bring ham stock to a boil and add the peas. Return the mixture to stove and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let set for one hour. Add the onion and bay leaves and simmer until the peas are soft and tender, about 2 hours. Add the vegetables, ham and the herbs. Immediately set the pot aside to cool overnight in the refrigerator. To serve, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are just done. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Salt will not be necessary if the peas were cooked in ham stock.

No bowl of pea soup is complete without Johnny cake. In my family, that is the bribe to get the kids to at least try the soup. The recipe for Ma’s Johnny Cake is from Brownie’s collection and features ingredients every thrifty Maine housewife would have on hand: cornmeal and the liquid left after the butter was churned, known as buttermilk. If you don’t happen to have buttermilk on hand, you can make sour milk by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk and achieve the same results. For the health fanatic, canola oil may be substituted for the bacon fat.

Ma’s Johnny Cake

1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk 3 tablespoons bacon fat (or canola oil) 1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingreidents. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk. Combine liquid with the cornmeal mixture, add fat and stir until mixture is moistened. Pour into greased 8-inch by 8-inch pan and bake in hot oven, 450 degrees, until top is brown, about 30 minutes.


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