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Portable soup was a precursor of both modern Bullion cubes and dehydrated meals . It is also known as pocket soop or veal glew. It is a cousin of the Glace de Viande of French cooking. It was long a staple of seamen and explorers, for it would keep for many months or even years. In this context, however, it was a filling and nutritious, but frequently revolting, dish. Portable soup of less extended vintage was, according to the 1881 Household Cyclopedia...exceedingly convenient for private families, for by putting one of the cakes in a saucepan with about a quart of water, and a little salt, a basin of good broth may be made in a few minutes.
1 The Process
Soup was made in the usual way reduced, defatted --or the fat would go rancid--and then reduced repeatedly until it took on the consistency of jelly. Once it was sufficiently gelatinous to hold its form, it was placed on pieces of flannel or unglazed earthenware dishes and rotated regularly to dry it further. This was a seasonal process attempted only in the winter when humidity was low. Once dry, it was wrapped in paper and stored in boxes.
2 History
Portable soup is held to have been invented by Mrs. Dubois, a London tradeswoman. Together with William Cookworthy, she won a contract to manufacture it for the British Royal Navy in 1756.
The naval authorities hoped that portable soup would prevent scurvy among their crews. Therefore they allotted a daily ration to each sailor beginning in the 1750s. Captain Cook was convinced of its efficacy and carried it on both his South- Seas voyages.
Lewis and Clark on their 1804- 1806 expedition into the territory of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase carried portable soup. According to his letter from Fredericktown, OhioFredericktown is a village located in Knox County, Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2,428. Geography Fredericktown is located at 40°28'47" North, 82°32'43" West (40. 479765, -82. According to the United States Census Bure on April 15, 1803Events January 30 Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to discuss, and possibly buy, New Orleans. They end completing the Louisiana Purchase. February 24 The Supreme Court of the United States, in Marbury v. Madison establishes the principle of judicial r, Lewis purchased the soup from Francois Baillet, a cook in Philadelpia. He paid $289.50 for the 193 pounds of portable soup stored in "32 cannisters". Lewis carried it with him overland to the embarkation point on the Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, 981 mi (1,579 km) long in the eastern United States. Of great significance in the history of North America dating from the time of the Native Americans, the river was a primary transportati.
However, by 1815Events January 3 Austria, Britain, and France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussia and Russia. January 8 War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans February 3 The first commercial cheese factory is founded in Switzerland February 6 New Jersey g, with the publication of physician Gilbert BlaneSir Gilbert Blane ( 29 August 1749 26 June 1834) was a Scottish physician who instituted health reform in the British navy. Born in Blanefield, Ayrshire, he studied medicine at Edinburgh University before moving to London, where he served as private physi's On the Comparative Health of the British Navy from 1779 to 1814, the efficacy of portable soup for promoting the health of sailors was found lacking. Opinion shifted in favor of cannedCanning is a method of preserving food by first heating it to a temperature that destroys contaminating micro-organisms, and then sealing it in air-tight jars or cans. Because of the danger of botulism, the only safe method of canning most foods is under meats, by a process invented in FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. in 1806.
