French Canadian Pea Soup (Québécois Soupe Aux Pois) and Ritual

by Libby

Clara and Myrna stood in line at the buffet table, balancing mugs of steaming French Canadian pea soup and plates with warm rolls from the boulangerie. (Still Life, Kindle, p.118)

The Three Pines community have gathered for a buffet lunch at the Bistro, following a meeting with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache about the circumstances of Jane Neal's death. A simple meal of soup, bread and cheese seems appropriate, providing nourishment and comfort to the crowd shocked by Jane's death.

Myrna's centrepiece for the table leaves little doubt how insightful she can be, when it comes to dealing with violent death and loss. 

Clara leaned into the arrangement of annual monarda, helenium and artist’s acrylic paint brushes. Nestled inside was a package wrapped in brown waxed paper. ‘It’s sage and sweetgrass,’ said Clara...‘Does this mean what I think?’ ‘A ritual,’ said Myrna. (Still Life, Kindle, p.120)

Myrna is the 'wise woman' (everyone needs a friend like Myrna), who recognises the power of ritual for its symbolic, spiritual and emotional meanings, when a life is lost and evil and fear has descended in their midst. She leads a group of Three Pines' women through a smudging ritual, to cleanse the place where Jane died, and release the negative energy.

But the ritual also becomes a celebration as the circle of friends communally express their deepest thoughts and feelings for Jane, honour their friend and give testimony to her life.

One by one the women took a ribbon, tied an item to it, tied the ribbon to the stick and spoke a few words...Clara reached into her head and pulled out a duck barrette. She tied that to a bright yellow ribbon and the ribbon to the now festooned prayer stick...Clara pulled a banana out of her pocket, and tied it to the stick, for Lucy...From her other pocket she drew a playing card. The Queen of Hearts. (Kindle, Still Life, p.254) 

Together they are able to take some control over their fears, restore some balance and peace of mind, re-affirm their connection with each other and Jane. 

The women looked around and saw their circle was no longer bound by fear, but was loose and open. And in the center, on the spot Jane Neal had last lived and died, a wealth of objects played, and sang the praises of a woman who was much loved. (Kindle, Still Life, p.255)

I was quite taken by Louise Penny's use of ritual, and it's meaning in terms of identity, comfort and healing. So I thought about it a bit, its socio-cultural perspectives, the extent to which ritual (as symbolic observances of beliefs and traditions) plays a part in our lives, how we engage with it (as a community, family, and individual) at various stages in our lives, or at particular times -- rites of passage, seasonal events, and certain religious practices and secular events steeped in tradition, come to mind.

And I wondered where rituals exist meaningfully in my own life, at a personal and family level. Not as much as they once did, I think.  I came to this conclusion once I’d sorted out the finer points about custom, tradition and ritual! One way or another they are about identity and communication of beliefs and values, and patterns of behaviour. But it's really the ‘performance’ element, the prescribed actions with their symbolic meanings, that makes something a ritual.

I just had to throw this in! It's a fabulous example of ritual in the sporting world. It's the Haka of the New Zealand All Blacks (international rugby team), a traditional, rhythmic and synchronous invocation of identity, unity, power and challenge.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHhinpo-UM 

Louise Penny reminds us, too, that ritual can also be an individual and private event, with Agent Isabelle Lacoste’s affirmations to the dead at every crime scene.

...Isabelle Lacoste was still there. Speaking to the dead. Reassuring them Chief Inspector Gamache and his team were on the case. They would not be forgotten. (The Cruellest Month, Kindle, p.143)

When everyone else had left, Isabelle Lacoste returned. To let the dead know they were not forgotten. (A Trick of the Light, Kindle, p.217)

And there is still more meaning to be found in these Three Pines’ rituals. Not only do the ritual cleansings in Still Life and in A Trick of the Light serve to help the friends to re-balance, take control and re-affirm their connection. They are also downright enlightening! It seems that another causal effect (must be something to do with the way they evoke the senses or heighten perception) is the discovery of key pieces of evidence at the ritual sites! 

And what about food?

Food rituals are central to many religions and cultures and rites of passage. We can all think of observances, occasions and festivals, celebrations in our own life or across cultures, where food and drink is steeped in symbolic meaning, as complex as fasting and feasting rituals, or as simple as the birthday cake, making a wish and blowing out the candles.
Perhaps you have a favourite to share? 

So what has all this got to do with French Canadian pea soup. Well not a lot, apart from the fact it was served at the Bistro at the time the smudging ritual was planned. But it is a reminder of the long tradition of this dish (or variations of it) across many cultures and times. Québécois Soupe Aux Pois dates back to the 17th century explorer, Samuel De Champlain. Personally, I date pea soup back to my childhood and can still recall the wonderful smoky aroma of it, on a cold autumn or winter's day, as my mother placed it on the table saying with a wry smile, "Here! This will glue your sides together." And it did! And it was delicious! 

I haven't thought about pea soup for a long time. And it's probably because I'm no longer a meat eater. Well now I've rediscovered it, and found a way of making a rich and satisfying meatless version...almost. I do make my own chicken stock as the soup base. A vegetable stock, of course, can be made for a strict vegetarian version. With careful attention to building the flavours of the stock, and of the peas and accompanying vegetables, the result is a rich, deeply flavoured version.

The stock can be made ahead of time. I simply add two chicken chops and a carcasse to about 3.5 litres/3.5 quarts of water and 2 chunks of ginger root, and let it lightly simmer until reduced by approximately a third. I taste it as it reduces and add pure sea salt (no additives unlike table salt), bit by bit, to enhance the flavour, but not to overpower.
If you are making the traditional pea soup, salted pork, ham hock or bacon bones added to the water that the peas and vegetable are cooked in, will provide the requisite rich smoky flavour, and also some meat as it melts from the bones. 

Pea soup:

1 brown onion

2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
1 stalk of celery
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
3 to 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups of dried split peas, par boiled if preferred
2.5 litres/2.5 quarts chicken (or vegetable) stock

Finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Gently fry these in olive oil that has been lightly heated in a large soup pot. With the lid on, let them sweat but not brown. Add the bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, continuing to cook them over low heat. Slow cooking and a little seasoning helps to draw out the sweet flavour of the vegetables and the aromas of the bay and thyme.

Don’t hurry this process.
Add the par-boiled split peas and stir through. Add the stock and cook gently allowing the flavour to build. Stir occasionally and taste. Bit by bit (so you don’t over season), add some salt, and taste. The salt is used to bring out more complex flavours, but not to make the soup salty.

What comes through strongly is the deeply rich, earthy flavour of the peas themselves, which is a highlight in this dish. At the end of cooking I just blitzed the soup with a stick blender to create a smoother consistency for serving in a mug.

Soup and bread go so well together (just like Myrna and Clara). But freshly baked bread rolls filled with lusciously creamy Brie takes it to another level. And it's oh so filling! The meal was complete.

Well, there were no symbolic rhythmic movements around the table or chanted invocations, apart from a few mumbled "mmm, yum" between mouthfuls, but I might need to start up a new tradition! This soup is back on the menu!