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‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

atlasobscura.com

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Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#101

Post by madaxe_again »

Waterluvian wrote: post #5

Kind of related to this is the concept of "Brunswick Stew." Look it up if you want a more accurate description, but as I recall, the idea from Colonial times in America is that there'd be a tavern/inn with a fire, constantly running, and a big cauldron of stew always topped off and ready for weary travelers. The idea is that they never "finished" a batch. They just perpetually added leftovers and foods that were at r…

I worked, as a teenager, in a Michelin starred hotel in the U.K. - they had, in the kitchen, an enormous stockpot, as tall as a man, which must have held 500 litres or more of stock, perpetually simmering. There was a stepladder to get up to chuck stuff (bones, vegetable scraps, you name it) in, and it had a tap at the bottom to fill smaller cauldrons from. It was explained to me that it had been going since the 50’s. Not quite ancient, but pretty elderly.

Long shift on a cold winter night, nothing beat a mug or two of that stock.

Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#102

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

idiotsecant wrote: post #29
Waterluvian wrote: post #5

Kind of related to this is the concept of "Brunswick Stew." Look it up if you want a more accurate description, but as I recall, the idea from Colonial times in America is that there'd be a tavern/inn with a fire, constantly running, and a big cauldron of stew always topped off and ready for weary travelers. The idea is that they never "finished" a batch. They just perpetually added leftovers and foods that were at r…

I think the coziness of this recipe might be tempered somewhat by the fun food-borne illnesses that would have to spring up doing this.

As others have said throughout these comments, as long as you keep the temperature high constantly, it won't be an issue.

Bacteria won't survive in simmering water, so time alone will not cause it to go bad. The toxins that bacteria produce can survive, which means tainted ingredients being added might spoil it, but as always, the poison is in the dose. With a large enough pot, a couple pieces of spoiled food likely won't cause illness.

Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#105

Post by jrochkind1 »

khuey wrote: post #94
jrochkind1 wrote: post #80

TWO profiled broths were destroyed by bombs in war. Apparently a leading cause of broth destruction. > an even older pot, in Perpignan [France], had been bubbling since the 1400s until it finally met its demise in 1945 during World War II bombing raids. > The broth [in Tokyo’s historic Asakusa quarter] would be going on 100 today, but the previous batch was lost in 1945 during World War II bombing. 1945 was not a goo…

I would expect a lot of long-running things are lost to wars or big natural disasters.

It actually makes me really sad to think that bombs destroyed the broth from 1400 AD.

I do realize this isn't much of a start on what WWII destroyed.

Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#106

Post by paxys »

Waterluvian wrote: post #5

Kind of related to this is the concept of "Brunswick Stew." Look it up if you want a more accurate description, but as I recall, the idea from Colonial times in America is that there'd be a tavern/inn with a fire, constantly running, and a big cauldron of stew always topped off and ready for weary travelers. The idea is that they never "finished" a batch. They just perpetually added leftovers and foods that were at r…

Not quite the same as Ship of Theseus because the soup will never be fully replaced. The will always be some bits of the original – no matter how small – hanging around forever.

Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#108

Post by darth_avocado »

jrochkind1 wrote: post #88
jasonwatkinspdx wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't had it personally, but one of my SO's tried a famous "perpetual stew" when in France and we talked about it at one point. Her description kinda matched what I'd expect from braises that I've let go to long: you end up with bland mush. I think there's a reason very few restaurants serve this style of dish, and it's not because of health codes. We live in an era of insane abundance compared to the medeivil an…

> I think there's a reason very few restaurants serve this style of dish It is in fact quite common in some parts of China, as the OP mentions. But it's just a stock, used in other dishes, not a dish of it's own. > more specifically in the cuisines of Canton and Fujian, where there’s a rich tradition of making lou mei, or master stock, which is used to braise and poach meats. I had read about this before, I recall an…

Not sure about China, but I’ve encountered local restaurants boasting broth that has continuously been cooked for decades in both Thailand and in Philippines.

Re: ‘Perpetual broths’ that simmer for decades

#109

Post by pishpash »

Waterluvian wrote: post #5

Kind of related to this is the concept of "Brunswick Stew." Look it up if you want a more accurate description, but as I recall, the idea from Colonial times in America is that there'd be a tavern/inn with a fire, constantly running, and a big cauldron of stew always topped off and ready for weary travelers. The idea is that they never "finished" a batch. They just perpetually added leftovers and foods that were at r…

Sounds disgusting and unhealthy. May as well drink stomach acid. There is something about freshness of food not just sterility.
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