pottage
Peasant's hearty bowl
Pottage is a thick soup or stew, typically made by boiling vegetables, grains, and sometimes meat in a single pot.
The word is old-fashioned, surviving mainly in biblical and literary contexts: Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.
That story gives the phrase mess of pottage its meaning—something valuable traded for something worthless.
Clear simmered meat liquid
- vegetablesEdible plants, not fruits
- simmerCook just under boiling
- ladleDeep spoon for serving
- cauldronLarge metal cooking pot
herbs · thick · soup · gruel · boil · hearth · ingredients · seasoning
Low-ranking agricultural workers
- serfsFeudal bound laborers
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
- manorLanded aristocratic residence
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
commoners · monasteries · medieval · famine · tithe · almshouse · workhouse · biblical
Dwelling on agricultural land
- homemadePrepared at one's residence
- simpleFree of complexity
- wholesomeConducive to well-being
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
pastoral · agrarian · countryside · traditional · earthy · humble · peasant · village
Means of living
- provisionsStockpiled food and supplies
- fareTransport payment
- victualsFood and drink
- mealOccasion for nourishment
repast · filling · warming · satisfying · comforting · restorative · fortifying · hearty
broth
Clear simmered meat liquid
- vegetablesEdible plants, not fruits
- simmerCook just under boiling
- ladleDeep spoon for serving
cauldron · herbs · thick · soup · gruel · boil · hearth · ingredients · seasoning · legumes
peasants
Low-ranking agricultural workers
- serfsFeudal bound laborers
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
- manorLanded aristocratic residence
subsistence · commoners · monasteries · medieval · famine · tithe · almshouse · workhouse · biblical · Esau
farmhouse
Dwelling on agricultural land
provincial · pastoral · agrarian · countryside · traditional · earthy · humble · peasant · village · folk
sustenance
Means of living
- provisionsStockpiled food and supplies
- fareTransport payment
- victualsFood and drink
meal · repast · filling · warming · satisfying · comforting · restorative · fortifying · hearty · robust
- rustic foodsbarley soup, bean soup, rye bread, potatoes, cabbage
- ancient foodsemmer, spelt, millet, sorghum, lentils
- Biblical Foodsmanna, unleavened bread, figs, grapes, olives
- folk food termscomfort food, soul food, home cooking, peasant food, rustic bread
- historic foodssyllabub, mead, hardtack, gruel, posset
- historical foodmedieval feast, Roman banquet, ancient recipes, royal banquet, trenchers
pottageconsommé
Clarified, concentrated stock
haute cuisine · fine dining · bouillon · delicacy · ambrosia
pottageconsommé
Clarified, concentrated stock
roast · broth · roasted meat · baked goods · raw food
pottagefeast
Elaborate ceremonial meal
delicacy · fine dining · peasant food · gruel