A thick split-pea pottage reconstructed to illustrate the slow-simmered staple dishes common in medieval English cooking.
Rinse the split peas
Dice the onion and slice the leek
Combine peas, onion, leek, sage and water in a heavy pot
Bring to a gentle simmer
Cook until the peas are very soft and the pottage is thick
Stir frequently near the end
Mix in butter and season before serving
Pottage was not one single medieval recipe but a broad cooking method. Grains, legumes, vegetables, herbs and sometimes meat were simmered together to make dishes ranging from thin soups to very thick meals.
For ordinary households, this flexibility was essential. The pot could change with the season, local harvests and household wealth.
Dried peas were especially useful because they stored well and provided substantial nourishment. Cooked slowly, they break down into a thick base that can carry onions, leeks, herbs and fat.
A wealthier household could enrich pottage with meat, spices or costly fats, while a modest version might remain almost entirely plant-based. There was no universal medieval pea pottage.
Pottage matters because it represents the everyday side of medieval food, not just the elaborate dishes recorded for elite banquets.
This recipe is a reconstruction. Split peas are used for convenience and the measurements are modern, but the overall logic of slowly simmered peas, alliums and herbs is historically plausible.
4 servings