Soupe aux pois
Photo: Carnaval King 08 · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Yellow pea soup goes back to New France, when dried peas and salt pork were winter staples that kept for months. It became so identified with the province that Quebecers were once nicknamed pea-soupers. It remains a fixture of the cabane a sucre menu each spring. In Montreal it still turns up on cabane a sucre menus and in home kitchens through the winter, a cheap, warming bowl tied tightly to the province's identity.

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Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 20 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 400g yellow split peas
  • 150g salt pork or ham hock
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp savory or thyme
  • 2 litres water
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Rinse the split peas and add to a pot with the salt pork, onion, carrots, bay leaf and water.
  2. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer gently 2 to 2.5 hours until the peas break down.
  3. Remove the pork, shred any meat and return it to the pot.
  4. Season, adding water if too thick, and serve hot with crusty bread.

Tip from the editors. Do not salt heavily until the end; the salt pork seasons the pot and can easily push the soup too far.

Where to eat soupe aux pois

Soupe aux pois in Montreal

Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Montreal. See where to eat Soupe aux pois in Montreal or the Montreal signature dishes guide.

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