November 10 “Can’t see…It’s thick as pea soup”

On November 10, 1871, Henry Morton Stanley found David Livingston. Stanley was a journalist, born in England and moved to United States at 18. Livingston was a missionary and explorer from Wales, he also trained in medicine in London, before going to Africa. He wanted to discover the source of the Nile river. After not being heard from for several years, Stanley, employed by the New York Herald, set off to find Livingston.

I have the book “Wonders of the Tropics” or “Explorations and Adventures of Henry M. Stanley’ by Henry Davenport Northrop, published 1889.

Stanley began his search in March of 1871. Eight months, and seven hundred miles later, Stanley heard that there was an Englishman in town of Ujiji in modern day Tanzania, central Africa.

The author states that Stanley said “I would have run to him, only I was a coward in the presence of such a mob; so I did what moral cowardice and false pride suggested was the best thing-walked deliberately to him, took off my hat and said: “Dr Livingston, I Presume?” “Yes,” said he with a kind, cordial smile, lifting his cap slightly. We grasped hands, then I said “I thank God, Doctor, I have been permitted to see you.” He answered, “I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you.”

They talked for a while, and Stanley restocked Livingston’s provisions, and they explored some together. Livingston was rather sick, but would not give up his quest to find the source of the Nile river. He died several years later, still in Africa. Stanley spent the next twenty years exploring in Africa, and then settled back in England.

Rumour has it that during their first encounter, the mention of food came up. Stanley asked if there was anything from England that he missed eating. Livingston may or may not have said “Blimey, I’d be chuffed for a bit of Mushy Peas…that’d be tickety-boo.”

Stanley would have known the American counterpart of, at least similar to, Mushy Peas. And by coincidence…November 10th to November 16th is National Split Pea Soup Week.

I enjoy a good bowl of split pea soup. I have an old ‘Betty Crocker” recipe that has worked for forty-four years. I thought I would check in my cookbook collection to see if there were any different recipes. Most were very similar. But then I found the book “Bean Banquets from Boston to Bombay” by Patricia R. Gregory, 1989.

Her recipe was very interesting, “Green Spit Pea and Barley Vegetable Soup. This would take the cooked split peas, add cooked barley, carrots, green beans, tomatos and the broth from split peas, then add cauliflower and parsley. I want to try it.

The author has made several cookbooks. In one, she printed her grandmother’s Lasagna recipe from Italy. That Grandmother was my mother-in-law’s Grandmother, as well. While she was mad that the family recipe was printed to the world, she wanted me to have a copy of it. I do.

I also have “Beans and Rice” by Joanne Weir, 1994. There is “Yellow Split Pea Soup with Spiced Yogurt”. The soup uses yellow split peas, and has an extra ingredient of ginger. The garnish of yogurt has a bunch of spices added in.

I had to add the picture of this soup.

A man sits down at a restaurant and looks at the menu. He tells the waiter, “I think I will have the turtle soup.”
The waiter leaves, but the man changes his mind to pea soup. He yells to the waiter, “Hold the turtle, make it pea!”

Thanks for reading.