[Sca-cooks] Somewhat OOP Portable Soup Question

[Terry Decker]

"Portable soup" was being used by the British Navy around 1750, when ships 
carried 50 pounds of the stuff for every 100 men.  The stuff has a 
paste-like consistency and I suspect 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon in a cup of 
water for a broth-like consistency (roughly the reconstitution of bullion) 
is what you're looking for.

Lewis and Clark only had 193 pounds of portable soup, prepared by Francois 
Baillet, a Philadelphia cook, for the Purveyor of Public Supplies at a cost 
of $289.50.  The reciept for the concentrate can be found in the National 
Archives.  Most of it was eaten between September 14 and September 20, 1805 
at Killed Colt Camp in the Bitterroots according to the Journals.

Bear

> My previous comments on bacon notwithstanding, I am trying to take more 
> control over what foods I am putting in my body.
>
> To this end, I have pulled the the Portable Soup recipe out of the Lewis & 
> Clark cookbook, thinking to use it to replace the cup-of-noodles i 
> normally eat for breakfast. I am not up to coffee 1st thing in the 
> morning, so the hot broth from the c-o-n works great for me. c-o-n, along 
> with other commercial dry soups have a lot of salt and other stuff I 
> wouldn't mind getting rid of if a tasty substitute can be found.
>
> Portable Soup, for those who don't have the L&C cookbook, is essentally 
> de-fatted, hyper-reduced stock that does not need to be refrigeratated. 
> L&C started their 1803 expedition with about 800 pounds of it.
>
> But while the book gives the recipe for making it, it does not give 
> instructions for re-constituting it. Before I go thru about 3 days of 
> boiling oxtails, I would like to know how much the final product yields.
>
> Has anyone made it and/or does anyone know the PS/water ratio?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Renata