The story behind the recipe
Pea soup, or grochówka, is a soup made from hulled peas, most often cooked with smoked meat, potatoes, garlic, and marjoram. According to the 'Canon of Polish Cuisine' (2019), peas are one of the most important products of traditional Polish cuisine: 'For centuries, they were considered a grain,' and in Catholic fasting cuisine, they were valued as a filling dish. Beans had just arrived from America, so peas were the most important legume. Stanisław Czerniecki already mentions pea soup in 'Compendium ferculorum' (Kraków 1682): 'Peas well hulled, boil well, strain through a sieve, dissolve with water and parsnip, so it is thin, add oil, pepper, and after frying bread in cubes, serve on the table.'
In the 19th century, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa in '365 Dinners for Five Zloty' cooked pea soup on 'fatty pork,' using a pig's tail or smoked meat. She strained the peas through a sieve and served the soup with butter-fried croutons. She also added: 'If you like, you can sprinkle a little marjoram.'
Grochówka is also a military soup. As reported by dzieje.pl (PAP), 'Kitchen management recipes in formations' from 1924 required that soldiers' grochówka contain 75 g of peas, 20 g of fat, 5 g of onion, and 5 g of flour for the roux, and according to documents from 1930, the army had over 6,000 field kitchens. According to the 'Canon of Polish Cuisine,' it is probably the most popular soup in roadside inns, bars, and at fairs, where 'military grochówka' reigns: 'a thick, hearty soup with meat, potatoes, smoked meat, sausage... And of course, peas.' Since 2010, 'Grochówka po częstochowsku' from the Silesian Voivodeship has been on the List of Traditional Products: thick, yellow, with pieces of carrot, parsnip, and potatoes, with a slight garlic flavor.
Ingredients
Soup
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250 g yellow split peas (halves)
Abroad: USA, Canada, UK: yellow split peas; Germany: halbe gelbe Erbsen or gelbe Schälerbsen -
500 g smoked pork ribs (or 400 g smoked ham hock)
Abroad: USA: smoked ham hock; UK: smoked ham hock or gammon hock; Germany: geräuchertes Eisbein or Kassler-Rippchen - 2 l water (cold)
- 1 pc bay leaf
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3 pcs allspice (berries)
Abroad: allspice berries, Germany: Piment - 120 g carrot
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80 g parsnip (you can also add 50 g of celery)
Abroad: USA: parsnip; Germany: Petersilienwurzel - 400 g potatoes (starchy)
Roux
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150 g raw smoked bacon (diced, skinless)
Abroad: USA: smoked slab bacon; UK: smoked streaky bacon or lardons; Germany: Räucherspeck or durchwachsener Speck -
200 g lightly smoked sausage (e.g. Silesian or Podhale, in half slices)
Abroad: any smoked sausage - 150 g onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lard or oil
Spices
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1 tbsp (15 ml) dried marjoram (up to 2 tablespoons, crushed in hands)
Abroad: dried marjoram; Germany: Majoran - salt and pepper (salt at the end, after tasting)
Thickening (optional)
- 10 g wheat flour (browned in 10 g of fat as a roux)
Method, step by step
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Sort and rinse the peas in cold water. If you have time, soak them in cold water overnight: soaked peas will double in weight and soften faster. Split peas can also be cooked without soaking, but they will take longer.
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Cut the smoked ribs into pieces, cover with 2 liters of cold water, and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, add the bay leaf and allspice, and simmer covered on low heat for 40–60 minutes. The ham hock needs about 2.5 hours until the meat starts to come off the bone.
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Drain the soaked peas and add them to the broth with the ribs. In the initial cooking phase, a white foam will form on the surface: skim it off with a spoon until it stops appearing.
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Cook the peas covered on low heat for about 30 minutes. Stir often, as the thickening soup sticks to the bottom. If it becomes too thick, add a little hot water.
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Dice the carrot and parsnip finely, and cut the potatoes into larger pieces. Add the vegetables to the soup and cook for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes and peas are soft and the peas start to break apart.
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Meanwhile, heat the lard in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the bacon and fry until browned, then add the chopped garlic for a minute at the end. Transfer everything to the pot along with the sliced sausage.
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Remove the ribs, separate the meat from the bones, chop it, and return it to the soup. Cook everything together for another 10–15 minutes.
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Season with marjoram crushed in your hands and pepper. Taste and only then add salt, as the smoked meat is salty. If the soup is too thin, thicken it with the roux or flour mixed in cold water, poured in a thin stream while stirring continuously, and bring to a boil.
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Serve hot, with a slice of dark bread or croutons. In summer, sprinkle with parsley.
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