Well, I just don't know. This one hardly counts as a soup, but I guess if you were a Colonialist and were strictly limited to what you had right in front of you, it might occcur to you to come up with this. Hmmm - that reminds me of something. Oh yes. Those poor sap astronauts on Apollo 13. They were faced with a drastic situation and had to save themselves by making do with only what they had right infront of them, too. It's a good thing that they didn't have any hickory nuts on board or else we might all be having this for breakfast instead of Tang.
I found this recipe at Billings Books - Feasts From Colonial Cookbooks. Compared to the other offerings on that page such as Broiled Squirrel and Codfish Tongues, this is starting to look better to me.
1 gal. hickory nuts
1 qt. hot water
4 tbs. sugar
Crack and shell the nuts. Crush the nuts into a paste. (A blender or food processor is inauthentic, but easier.) Pour the water over the nuts and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain. Add the sugar. Serve hot.
Look here Soup Lady. The word Sap is slang for a foolish gullible person. You comment: "Oh yes, those poor sap astronauts on Apollo 13" is ridiculous. .
Posted by: Zippy | November 06, 2003 at 08:50 AM
... thank you for this magnificent plog!
you will make this winter so much more bearable, now that i have access to delicious soup!
bless you.
Posted by: escheva | November 06, 2003 at 11:58 AM
Yes, that is exactly the definition that I meant when I selected the word. My apologies if it offended you - the Soup Lady tries to be funny. Sometimes she is; sometimes she isn't.
I actually had the pleasure of meeting Jim Lovell at his restaurant in Chicago*. He is extremely affable and more than willing to answer any question about his experience aboard Apollo 13 or his experience as an astronaut in general.
*I had the soup - a combination plate of green and white vicchyssoise.
Posted by: The Soup Ldy | November 07, 2003 at 12:49 PM
Hickory nuts were a main staple of the Cherokee (and I'm sure many other Native American tribes. They ground the hickory nuts (shell and all)very finely and formed into balls called Connuche (Kenuche).
When boiled with water the shell sinks to the bottom of the pan. It was then strained through a cloth. The remaining paste was similar to peanut butter. It was used in many ways to sustain them through harsh winters. -- So, don't knock it till you try it.
Posted by: bj | November 19, 2003 at 10:05 AM
Dear Soup Lady,
No disrespect intended, but you could not possibly have encountered an actual hickory nut. I can pick a gallon of hickory nuts in a matter of minutes, but getting to the meat is another matter. Your recipe says "crack and shell" as if that were a lark. If you have some mystery method other than whopping a hammer or splitting and digging out micrograins of hickory nut meat, please enlighten us all.
Sincerely,
Soup Gal
Posted by: Soup Gal | November 19, 2003 at 02:11 PM
Why, yes, dear - I do have an easier method. You can freeze the nuts first and it makes it much easier to open them and remove the meat. Another method is to boil them for a few minutes , let them cool and then shell them, but I prefer the freezing method.
Posted by: The Soup Lady | November 20, 2003 at 02:38 AM