Pottage, from Old French for '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 all classes of society for many centuries. The word "pottage" is used in the earliest English translations of the Bible, in relation to the lentil soup for which Esau trades his birth-right in Genesis 25:29-34; from this story, the phrase "a mess of pottage" means something attractive but of little value being exchanged for something much more important.
In the Middle Ages, pottages made for the rich also included the expensive ingredients of dried fruit and spices imported from the Middle and Far East. Other names related to pottages were brewets, egerdouces, mortrews and blance dessore. In most homes a pottage could be kept over the fire for a period of days adding more ingredients as they became available while being served as a daily meal. The result was a dish that was constantly changing.
Many of the pottage recipes require a stock so it’s a good idea to make one whenever you roast some meat and then bung it in the freezer so it’s easily to hand.
