Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot 9 days old?

Question

I think this is a london nursery rhyme but i have always loved it since I was a child...I just don't know what it is..is it like oatmeal? anybody?.....anyone?.....

Answer 1

It's talking about a thick soup made of peas boiled with water and possibly some vegetables until soft and kinda thick. In the days when this nursery rhyme was popular, there was no means of refrigeration and dinner in the pot was left over the fire for days on end, bringing it to a boil each day and adding more peas and vege's if needed to feed everyone.

So initially, the porridge would be hot and then left to cool over night and conceivably be left in the pot for nine days, or more. The kids were singing about an every day occurrence in their lives.

Answer 2

I am not entirely certain, but I think it is a reference to mashed peas. I think the spelling "pease" may date to around the 16th century or so. The fondness for a rhyme about porridge might be a reference to an earlier time, around the 12th to 14th century, however, when warm porridges were common in the cuisine of Europe, due to some misconceptions about health and the way that foods were constituted, which favored warm, wet, sweet foods (notions of proper diet at the time were based on a balance of humors, and most people were thought to be too dry and too cold -- which may have been true, since Europe was in fact in one of several mini-ice-ages it has experienced every few centuries or so).

At any rate, if you have 9-day-old porridge, time to clean out the fridge!

Answer 3

I know what it is and i used to say it and make it for my children. I think they liked it because of the rhyme. It never lasted but that one day! I made mine from green split peas They are the same as sugar peas 1lb. dried green split peas-1 chicken bouillon cube-1/4 lb smoked ham diced- 1 small onion-1 clove garlic,minced -1 medium carrot.diced-salt and pepper to taste. 6 cups water. Sort and rinse the peas and then put them on to boil-add other ingredients. Bring to a boil Add more hot water if you need to. Good with croutons or crackers. My oldest son flipped the sugar peas across the table or hid them under his plate(when he though i wasn't looking) but he loved the pea porridge. i liked it cooked with a ham bone that had been cooked already and cut up green onions and the other onion and garlic-salt and pepper-and carrots but i just can't leave a recipe alone. Good when it is cold outside. Soup really is better warm. I still like it. But you have to sing the song! It will be kind of thick but you can thin it down some if you want to.

Answer 4

It's like hummus in texture, but it's porridge made from peas.

From wiki: a baked vegetable product, which mainly consists of split yellow or Carlin peas, water, salt and spices, often cooked with a bacon or ham joint.

Answer 5

It is, and it refers to the way that pot-cooking was done way back then. People did not dump leftover contents. They added to them and kept the pot going at all times. I know, sounds kinda gross.

Answer 6

they use to keep a pot of food for day and days on the fire.

This song is about the way they use to cook and keep the food on the fire for days.

Answer 7

I think it's similar to cream of wheat.

Answer 8

I think is peas, but is like oatmeal.
www.songsforteaching.com/nurseryrhymes/peasporridgehot.htm

Answer 9

oatmeal

Answer 10

http://www.mchd.com/DOCS/nsrecipe.doc

Talks about it here! =)