This TikTok trend has really stirred the pot.
Say what you will about it, TikTok commits to the bit. Folks are happy to get on board with just about any trend and the latest unlikely fad to take over your FYP is ‘perpetual stew.’
TikTok creator Annie Rauwerda (@depthsofwikipedia) is leading the charge and at the time of writing, has been slow-cooking her perpetual stew since June 11 this year as a sort of social enterprise, inviting friends, new and old, to contribute to the pot. Most are bringing staples like stock, garlic, potatoes, celery and onions, and one chaotic-neutral even brought a fennel.
But at 30 days old, Rauwerda’s soup is practically in its infancy. Especially when compared to the perpetual stews of history.
Also known as hunters pot, or forever soup, the dish has been around since at least the Medieval times in Europe and is basically the original bottom-of-the-fridge stock. Kept in a cauldron just above the ‘danger zone’ of 60 degrees celsius, the stock would be made of ale, bread, beans, salted pork, cabbage and whatever else might be at hand, constantly evolving depending on what had been thrown into the pot each day. It would then be served up as a cheap meal for weary travellers.
One writer for the New York Times, Arthur Prager, wrote a love-letter of sorts to his pot-au-feu in 1981 in his article ‘From, Pot-Au-Feu, Many Happy Returns’ in which he wished his stew a happy 21st birthday, while also referencing a 300-year-old perpetual stew that lasted from the late 1500s until WWII in France. While he doesn’t give any particulars on where this centuries-old soup hailed from, it’s not hard to imagine a cosy French inn, filled with the complex aromas of a stew that never stopped evolving, and being lovingly tended to until the end.
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While the idea of a cauldron – or benchtop slow cooker – bubbling away for weeks, months, or years on end, might give some the heebie-jeebies, it’s far from the only example of a constantly evolving ‘mother.’ Consider the sourdough starters that we all went nuts over during lockdowns – many bakers use starters they claim are over a century old, though the true age of some mother doughs could be much, much older. Mexican restaurants the world over celebrate their mole that can be nurtured for upwards of 2,500 days.
In Chinese cooking, master stocks are used to poach or braise for generations, getting more complex and imparting different flavours from the soy base, and in Bangkok restaurant, Wattana Panich, their beef and noodle soup base has been used daily for 45 years.
So, how does one create this history-making soup? Obviously, with great caution and the knowledge that food safety guidelines wouldn’t recommend this. The rate at which micro-organisms can multiply in food that isn’t stored correctly would make your head spin (and your guts churn). However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and for time immemorial folks have been upcycling their stocks, soups and stews to create flavours that are truly unique, and leave a legacy well beyond their lifetimes.
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FAQs
Annie Rauwerda is documenting her experience making a medieval soup called "perpetual stew," and TikTok is eating it up. Perpetual stew is made by constantly simmering and continuously replenishing the ingredients of a single batch of stew.
What is the soup that never ends? ›
A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter's pot, or hunter's stew, is a pot into which foodstuffs are placed and cooked, continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary.
How long can perpetual stew last? ›
Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer, if properly maintained." Fans of medieval history will know that perpetual stews are a mainstay in descriptions of inns. Apparently, foods cooked in a perpetual stew are uniquely flavorful "due to the manner in which the ingredients blend together."
Was perpetual stew a real thing? ›
Once a common dish in medieval times, perpetual stew's origins can be best described in British historian Reay Tannahill's book, Food in History. In the Middle Ages, Tannahill writes, pubs and inns always had a cauldron of stew boiling in case weary travelers or guests wandered in, day or night.
Why doesn t perpetual stew make you sick? ›
If heated at the proper temperature each time it's cooked or warmed, perpetual stew is safe to consume. The bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses typically can't survive a constant simmer, so you'll want to make sure you're heating perpetual stew at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Is perpetual soup safe to eat? ›
And yes, because it's always kept at boiling temperature (there was a close call on June 14 when Shayne briefly blew a fuse making toast), and the ingredients are cycled out at a fast pace, it should be safe to eat. Perpetual stews have been around for a while and “have simmered for years on end!” she notes.
Is the 45 year old soup safe to eat? ›
the soup, it's completely safe to eat.
What is the longest cooking perpetual stew? ›
In Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), there is an award-winning restaurant called Wattana Panich, where you can order and then eat a beef and goat soup that is 49 years old.
What is medieval stew made of? ›
Pottage or potage (/pɒˈ-, pəˈ-/, French: [potaʒ]; from Old French pottage 'food cooked in a pot') is a term for a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and, if available, meat or fish. It was a staple food for many centuries.
What did having a stew mean in medieval times? ›
Cities in medieval times had as many bathhouses as needed to meet demand; a small village might have just one. Medieval owners, being eager for profit, sometimes chose to combine the clean side with a not so clean side — prostitution. Stew is the name commonly used for such an establishment. This is an upscale stew.
Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away. Frozen leftovers will stay safe for a long time.
Can you boil bacteria out of soup? ›
To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores.
Is it safe to eat vegetable soup that was left out overnight? ›
For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours.
Perpetual Stew: Is it good? Is it safe (compared ...Reddithttps://www.reddit.com ›
You can reheat it twice before you should throw out the vegetables, and the next time add some of the broth from the original soup to the pot of new veggies and...
Some chefs are firm believers in stews that are cooked in an unending cycle. Find out about perpetual stew from HowStuffWorks Now.
Perpetual stew or “forever soup” is trending on TikTok (yes, smack in the middle of summer). While it certainly gives new meaning to hot girl summer, it also ha...
With a perpetual stew, you've always got it simmering, meaning it can last for literal years. While in the medieval tradition, the cauldron would be drained and cleaned every year around Lent (to observe 40 days without meat), there are some places where a single pot of stew can be constantly replenished for years.
What soup has been simmering for 45 years? ›
The giant pot of neua tune, a beef stew popular in the Thai capital, has been simmering since owner Nattapong Kaweenuntawong was a child, more than 45 years ago. Growing up studying the exact flavor profile of the stew from his father, Kaweenuntawong now balances the flavor himself daily.
What is the longest perpetual soup? ›
In Japan, the restaurant Otaf*cku in the Asakusa district of Tokyo serves a stew called oden, which has been replenished constantly since 1945. The only reason it doesn't date back until 1916, when the restaurant opened, is said to be because that soup was lost in a World War II air raid.
What is a completely clear soup called? ›
In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavoured stock or broth that has been clarified, a process that uses egg whites to remove fat and sediment.
