Classic Split Pea Soup History and Recipe

Stove Top – Slow Cooker – Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker) Instructions

This is the Classic Split Pea Soup loved by everyone, especially my family.  Made with dried split peas and cooked with flavorful ham, split pea soup is warm, so satisfying, and great for leftovers.  Split Pea Soup is the perfect hearty winter soup to serve your family as it is so easy-to-mak and so good!  My family considered this soup as an all-time comfort food.

You can enjoy this soup in a smooth blended consistency or chunky.  The choice is yours to make.  Since we have a family member that is vegan, I have also included a vegan version of this delicious split pea soup recipe. Instructions have also been provided to cook the soup on the stove top, slow cooker or Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

 

 

Bowl of Classic Split Pea Soup with ham

 

History of Pea Soup:

Pea soup has been eaten since early ages and it’s heartiness, high nutrition value and low-cost has made it part of the cuisine in many cultures.  The soup is typically made from dried peas that vary in color from grayish-green to yellow depending on the regional variety and cooked with various root vegetables and pork to add flavor.

In Britain, “Pease” is used as the singular and plural form of the word pea.  Pease pudding was a low-cost high-protein food staple and it was easy to store dried peas.  Before the nineteenth century this was an ideal food for sailors to boil with salt pork, which became the origins of pea soup.

 

Nineteenth century literature makes several references to eating pea soup as a simple food for farmers and a sign of poverty:  

In Canada, split pea soup is made with yellow peas and it very popular nationwide.

Split pea soup in Germany is also very common, containing meats such as bacon, sausage or smoked pork and served with a dark rye bread.

“Snert” is the Dutch version of pea soup.  It is a thicker stew of split peas, pork and various vegetables.  In the winter many outdoor food stalls will serve hot “snert” as a hearty snack along frozen canals and lakes for skaters.

In Poland pea soup is the popular food to serve in the military since it is nutritious, cheap and can be easily prepared in large quantities.  It is said that military pea soup is thick enough to hold a spoon straight up.

In Sweden and Finland it became traditional to eat pea soup with pork and pancakes on Thursdays as a preparation for fasting on Fridays.  Mustard is also an important part to serve with the pea soup so diners can stir it in to taste.  Even the Swedish and Finnish Armed Forces have been following this Thursday tradition since World War 2.

In the United States, pea soup was introduced in New England during the 19th Century by French-Canadian millworkers.  It was widely eaten in the colonial period and served as a thinner soup with pork, carrots and dried split peas.

 

500 to 400 BC: The Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 BC.  During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup.

 

1765:  A well-known nursery rhyme first appeared speaking of Pease porridge in Britain:

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

 

Classic Split Pea Soup Recipe:
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Classic Split Pea Soup History and Recipe
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 to 3 carrots (1 1/2 cups), chopped
  • 3 to 4 stalks celery (1 1/2 cups), chopped
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 pound (16-ounce) bag split green peas, dried, rinsed*
  • 1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks or 2 cups diced ham
  • 2 (32-ounce) containers, chicken stock or broth
  • 1/2 tablespoon yellow curry (optional)***
  • 2 teaspoons coriander, ground
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
  • 1 teaspoon sage, dried
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Stove Top Method:
  1. Trim any extra fat off ham bone and discard.

  2. In large stock pot over medium high heat, add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, split peas, ham bone, chicken broth, and seasonings.

    Split pea soup prep
  3. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer approximately 1 to 2 hours or until peas and vegetables are soft.  Remove from heat and let cool about 15 minutes before blending.

  4. To blend or not to blend:  This is an option.  You can either blend all the ingredients, except the ham, until smooth,  Partially blend just some of the ingredients, or not blend for a chunky version.  This applies to the stove top version and also the slow cooker version.  Your choice:

    Bowl of Split Pea Soup-chunky
  5. Place 1 cup soup mixture in to the blender and process until texture is smooth.  Pour the blended soup into a large bowl.  Repeat this step until all the soup mixture is blended.  Only blend 1 cup at at time since the soup mixture expands when hot and pressure can cause the top to blow off the blender.  (I learned this the hard way years ago - visualize The Exorcist!)

    Bowl of Split Pea Soup blended
  6. Once all the soup is blended to your liking, pour back into pot on the stove to keep warm and add chopped ham meat; stir together.

  7. Serve in soup bowls and enjoy.  Excellent with a side of Cornbread.

  8. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Method:
  1. Preheat the Slow Cooker (Crock Pot).  Trim any extra fat off ham bone and discard.

  2. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, split peas, ham bone (not the ham meat), chicken broth, and seasonings.

  3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours or until peas and all vegetables are tender.

  4. Place 1 cup soup mixture in to the blender and process until texture is to your liking.  Pour the blended soup into a large bowl.  Repeat this step until all the soup mixture is blended.  Only blend 1 cup at at time since the soup mixture expands when hot and pressure can cause the top to blow off the blender.  (I learned this the hard way years ago - visualize The Exorcist!)

  5. Once all the soup is blended to your liking, pour back into the crock pot to keep warm and add chopped ham meat; stir together.

  6. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, split peas, ham bone, chicken broth, and seasonings to inner pot. (Do not fill pot more than 2/3 full of liquid)

  2. Place lid on cooker and close both the lid and vent to the sealing position. Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and adjust to high pressure setting. Set the cooking time to 12 minutes.

  3. When the cooking time has finished, quick release the pressure in short spurts until all the pressure is released and the pin has dropped. Note: Many times when cooking soups or beans, liquid will try to release out of the pressure valve if it is quick released. To avoid a mess, release the pressure in short spurts or place a kitchen town over the pressure valve when released to catch any liquid. Once the pin has dropped, open the lid and set aside. Remove the ham bone and cut off ham meat. Reserve the meat to add back to the soup after it has been blended.

  4. If you wish to have your soup blended, place 1 cup soup mixture in to the blender and process until texture is to your liking. Pour the blended soup into a large bowl. Repeat this step until all the soup mixture is blended. Only blend 1 cup at a time since the soup mixture expands when hot and pressure can cause the top to blow off the blender. (I learned this the hard way years ago - visualize The Exorcist!)

  5. Once all the soup is blended to your liking, pour back into the inner pot to keep warm and add chopped ham meat; stir together and serve.

  6. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Vegan Variation:
  1. Follow desired Stove Top, Crock Pot or Pressure Cooker Method above (your choice).

  2. Omit ham bone and ham meat.

  3. Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

  4. Add 1 tablespoon liquid smoke for flavoring.  Adjust spices and seasonings to taste.

  5. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe Notes

* Look for split peas that have a use-by date on the package and are relatively fresh; they will cook faster and better.

** Learn how easy it is to make homemade Chicken Stock - Basic Chicken Stock.

*** Be careful using curry, as a little goes a long way.

 

Split Pea Soup

 

References:
Peas: History, Uses, Folklore, Growing, Nutrition, Purchasing, Preparation, Recipe: Pease Porridge Hot, Pease Porridge Cold, by Zel and Reuben Allen.
Lost Plymouth, Hidden Heritage of the Three Towns, by Felicity Goodall, 2009
Wikipedia; Pea Soup

Comments and Reviews

2 Responses to “Classic Split Pea Soup History and Recipe”

  1. Don Moore

    There are errors in your Classic Split Pea Soup Recipe. Is the cooking time 1 hour or 11/2 – 2 Hours? The ingredients do not mention onion, but in the instructions, you find “Add the …onion…”

    Reply
    • Nancy

      Don, thank you for having an eagle-eye! We are moving to a new recipe card, and missed a few ingredients. All fixed now. – Nancy

      Reply

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