[Sca-cooks] pottage, soup, et al

[Johnna Holloway]

Stew isn't all that clear-cut--
stew stiu, sb.3 Sc. and north. [Of obscure etymology. The sense history
of stew  sb.2 and
the related vb. seems to exclude the possibility of connexion with those
words. From the similarity of sense, the word has been supposed to be
cognate with (M)Dutch, LG. stof, OHG. stoup (mod.G. staub), Da. stv,
dust; but the phonological possibility of this has not been shown. ]

It's meant things like:

Suffocating vapour, stench, or clouds of dust.

     1375 Barbour Bruce xi. 614 Sic ane stew raiss owth thame then Of
      aynding, bath of hors and men.

Stew at one time referred to the pond in which fish were kept--

in stew = OF. en estui, said of fish kept in confinement, to be ready
for the table.

     C. 1386 Chaucer Prol. 350 Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in
      Muwe, And many a Breem, and many a luce in Stuwe.

A vessel for boiling, a caldron. Obs.

     C. 1305 Land Cokaygne 109 Þe leuerokes.;Li/enticons/yogh.giftiþ
      adun to man is muþ Idi/enticons/yogh.gift in stu ful swiþe wel
      Pudrid wiþ gilofre and canel;

also it was  A heated room; a room with a fireplace.

     C. 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 601 Troylus..myght it se Thurgh out a
      lytel wyndowe in a stuwe, Ther he by-shet syn myd-nyght was [in] mewe.

The modern meaning in the noun sense may be 18th century---

A preparation of meat slowly boiled in a stew-pan, generally containing
vegetables, rice, etc.

    1756 Mrs. Calderwood in Coltness Collect. (Maitl. Club) 252 They
      can dress..upon this stove, a roast, a boill, a fry, a stew and a
      bake.

As a verb--
stew, v.1 Obs. Also 3 steowien. [Early ME. steowi, stewe (the compound
wiðstewe occurs C. 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15), perh. repr. OE. *steowan:-WGer.
*stawwjan (3 sing. *stawiþ), whence MLG., MHG. stöuwen, stauwen to
check, restrain, hinder, mod.G. stauen to dam up. ] trans. To check,
restrain.

    C. 1205 Lay. 6266 And he sette stronge lawen to steowien his folke

also as a verb--

trans. To bathe in a hot bath or a vapour bath.

    * C. 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 69 Aftir þat stewe þe
      with stewynge couenable to þe tyme, for þat mekyl profytes;

2. Cooking.

a. trans. To boil slowly in a close vessel; to cook (meat, fruit, etc.)
in a liquid kept at the simmering-point.

    C. 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 14 Stue thy peions thus thou schalle.

Also

intr. Of meat, fruit, etc.: To undergo stewing; to be cooked by slow
boiling in a closed vessel. Also (of an infusion of tea, etc.), to
`stand' on the leaves, etc. Also transf., of the pot containing it.

    1594 Gd. Huswifes Handmaid Kitchin 1 Let them [Turneps, etc.] stew
      till they be verie tender.

There are also some uses where as a verb it meant close up in a bed or
stink with sweat.
This was all from OED.

Johnna
Michael Dixon wrote:
>
> Stew refers to the cooking method, stewing, originally "bathe in a 
> steam bath," from O.Fr. estuver "bathe, stew," (of uncertain origin, 
> possibly from V.L. *extufare "evaporate" ).
>
>snipped
>
> Toki Redbeard