Recipe Manuscript

To Make Pocket Soop

Name: To Make Pocket Soop
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT12H
Yield: 20
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 2 kg veal leg (boneless, skinless); 12–15 liters water; Salt (to taste); Optional: fresh herbs (e.g. thyme, parsley), whole spices (peppercorns, mace), as per preference; Cheesecloth or clean flannel (for drying jelly); No direct modern substitute for 'china cups'—use heat-proof ramekins or small bowls

1720

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720 approximately

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Advanced Dinner Lunch Other

Original Recipe • 1720

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Make Pocket Soop

"Take a leg of Veal strip of all the skin & fat, then take all the muscular or fleshy parts clean from the bone, boyle this in three or four gallons of water, till it comes to a strong jelly, & that the meat is good for nothing. be sure to keep the pan close cover'd, & simmer it with all the slowness & gentleness you possibly can, now & then when you find it is a good rich jelly, strain it through a sive into a clean earthen pan, let it stand till cold, then skim of all the fat from the top, then provide a large stew pan with water boyling in it over a stove, & take some deep china cups, or earthern ones if they be well glaz'd, & fill them with the Jelly, which you must take clean from the bottom & setling set them in the stew pan of water, take great care none of the water get into the cups, if it does it will spoil the jelly, keep it gently boyling all the time till the jelly becomes as glue, then take them out & let them stand till coole, then turn the glue out into new flannel which draw out all the moisture, turn them six or eight hours till they are quite dry, keep it in a dry warm place, & it will be like a price of glass. which you may carry in your pocket, keep it in tin boxes, when you use it boyle a pint of water & pour on a price of the glue the size of a small Wallnut, stirr it till it is melted, Season it with Salt to your palat, if you chuse herbs or Spices, boyle them in the water, & then pour it on ye glue."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written with evocative period spellings (e.g., 'soop', 'boyle', 'sive'), reflecting early 18th-century English. Quantities are given in broad terms—‘leg of veal’, ‘three or four gallons of water'—with an assumption of cook’s intuition rather than precise measurement. Instructions are sequential and pragmatic, offering frequent reminders for caution ('be sure to keep the pan close cover’d’), typical of household manuscripts of the time. The focus is on extracting gelatin and essence, then drying it: the term ‘glue’ refers to its texture, not taste. The end result is a dense, shelf-stable soup base—a marvel of culinary ingenuity long before modern preservatives.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of 1720 approximately - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of 1720 approximately (1720)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1720

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful window into early 18th-century kitchens, this historical culinary tome brims with recipes, culinary wisdom, and the flavors of a bygone era—offering food enthusiasts a taste of both tradition and intrigue.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This unusual recipe, dating from around 1720, was written at a time when the portability and preservation of food were paramount—‘pocket soop’ is a portable, homemade precursor to modern bouillon or soup stock cubes. It was especially prized for travel, military campaigns, or anywhere a comforting soup might not be easily sourced. Gelatin-rich stocks like this would have provided not just flavor but also nourishment, with the dense, portable ‘glue’ easy to store and transport for months. Dissolving it in hot water made a quick, warming soup on demand—centuries before instant noodles!

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks in the 18th century would use large copper or iron stockpots, maintaining a gentle heat over a hearth or stove, and tightly covered earthenware or ceramic pans to chill and store the jelly. Strainers or sieves made of fine cloth, earthenware cups or glazed crockery, clean flannel (for drying), and tin boxes for long-term storage were essential. The drying process relied on warm, dry spaces near a stove, rather than any mechanical dehydrators. Careful handling was needed to ensure water didn’t adulterate the stock during parboiling or the later water bath phase, requiring skill and vigilance.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

12 hrs

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

4.5 lbs veal leg (boneless, skinless)
3–4 gallons water
Salt (to taste)
Optional: fresh herbs (e.g. thyme, parsley), whole spices (peppercorns, mace), as per preference
Cheesecloth or clean flannel (for drying jelly)
No direct modern substitute for 'china cups'—use heat-proof ramekins or small bowls

Instructions

Start by taking about 4.5 lbs of veal leg, removing all skin and fat.
Cut off all the lean meat, discarding bones and connective tissue.
Place the veal in a large stockpot, add 3–4 gallons of water, and gently simmer for several hours, keeping the pot tightly covered.
Skim occasionally and continue to simmer until the liquid reduces to a thick, gelatinous stock and the meat has lost all texture and flavor – about 6–8 hours.
Strain the hot stock through a fine sieve into a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass).
Let it chill completely so the fat rises to the top; then skim off all fat.
Bring a deep pot of water to a gentle boil and have ready several heat-proof china bowls or well-glazed earthenware cups.
Ladle the cold veal jelly (carefully avoiding any sediment) into these bowls.
Set the bowls into the simmering water bath, ensuring that the water does not enter the cups.
Cover and simmer very gently until the jelly shrinks and solidifies almost like rigid glue – this may take 4–6 hours.
Once firm, unmold the ‘glue’ onto clean flannel (or cheesecloth as a modern alternative), and wrap to draw out remaining moisture, turning every few hours until completely dry.
Store the dried jelly in airtight tins in a cool, dry place – it will have the brittle translucence of glass.
To use, dissolve a piece about the size of a walnut (approx.
0.35 oz) in 2 cups boiling water.
Season to taste, adding herbs or spices if desired.

Estimated Calories

30 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Most of your time will be spent simmering the veal and drying the jelly, while active prep is minimal. The recipe makes about 20 servings, as each serving is approximately 10g (the size of a walnut), and the total yield from 2 kg of veal is about 200g dried jelly. The calories per serving are low since most fat and flavor are extracted, leaving primarily gelatin.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.