A Winter Soup.

Still Life of Vegetables for the Soup, c. 1732 Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779).

Opening the entrance door, the smell of the winter soup spread in the cold stairs. The house was unexpectedly dark and silent, but a pot gently simmered in the kitchen and the table was ready for two. Brown lentils boiled with a leave of bay, and, in a separate pan, finely dices of lard and chopped roasted chestnuts were ready to be cooked with sprigs of thyme and marjoram. There were slices of rustic bread in a plate in front of the bowls, and a bottle of red wine near the pitcher of water. Ingredients were not so different from those that could have been cooked in the big and smoky fireplace of the San Pietro Monastery (St Peter Monastery) in the Umbrian hill town of Gubbio, Italy, between the XVII and XVIII century. In the chilly and snowy months of winter, the kitchen could rely on “dried fruits, cereals and pulses, cheese, sausages and hams, lard or fish such as salted tuna and herrings.” There were cabbages and different varieties of salads, such as endive, radicchio and scarola, turnips but not potatoes, still unknown, and, from January, wild herbs gathered in the fields by peasants. Vegetables and stale bread were the main ingredients, but the most varied aliments could end up in the soup creating unusual combinations of sweet and salty flavors typical of that period. Pulses represented an important resource, cheap and abundant in every season. Hazelnut and chestnuts reinforced the soups, especially during Lent, when monks followed a strict fast and ate "lean" food. No meat broth was allowed in these periods, when fish triumphed and all sorts of tender herbs were used for the vegetable broth. Meat broth was not a popular product, especially when made with chickens and hens, considered expensive and reserved to special occasions, distinguished guests or in case of disease. In the short days of January, when snow covered fields and roads, the kitchen of the monastery followed the availability of the season and nothing was overlooked or wasted. Even snow, that the wise and provident monks stocked in a special tunnel called, neviera, from the Italian neve=snow. They heaped layer after layer of snow, then pressed it and covered with straw mats and bundles of wood to delay the inevitable dissolution. The neviera was useful to preserve food, but also to produce tasty sorbets with currant jelly in the hot days of summer. 

Now as then, nothing could beat a bowl of smoking soup to hold in the hands in the dark winter nights. The entrance door was opening, and a lovely voice invaded the house.

Note: 

The above mentioned soup of lentils is not a historical recipe but a tasteful idea from La Cucina Italiana, famous Italian cookery and food monthly magazine. 

Here is the link to the English edition: /http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/

Further reading:

Alla Tavola del Monaco. Il quotidiano e l’eccezionale nella cucina del monastero tra XVII e XVIII secolo con 100 ricette dell’epoca, Giuseppe Maria Nardelli, Quattroemme, Ponte San Giovanni (Perugia) 1998.

Photos:

TravelinaGarden.
Paintings:
Still Life of Vegetables for the Soup, c.1732. Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) French painter, Oil on canvas.

www.bridgemanartondemand.com.

Natura morta di verdura verza, Natura morta spighe di grano, (Still life of vegetables cabbage, Still life ears of corn), 1863–1865. Dori Antonio (?-1865), Italian painter, Paper/tempera paint. www.culturaitalia.it

To answer your questions...Liesl van der Walt, gardener at Babylonstoren.

I easily associated the flower and the bird in the black-and-white logo of Babylonstoren to the rich wild life of South Africa, but the pipe left me puzzled. For those who do not live in South Africa, and are not familiar with its iconography, “the pipe is associated with the farmers of old. Also implies relaxation, the good life.” This is Babylonstoren, an old Dutch farm in the Cape Winelands, where cultivations and vineyards frame chic guest-cottages and a magnificent garden, whose daily harvest supplies the kitchen of the restaurant, Babel. The whitewashed buildings combine stylish and modern solutions to restored thatched roofs and ornate gables dating back to the 18th century. This is the typical architectural style of the first Dutch settlers, who, in 1652, established a station in nearby Cape to supply the ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) with fresh vegetables and fruits. In my post “Babylonstoren: a double inspiration,” I explored how the tradition of the Company’s Garden and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon influenced the creation of this garden in South Africa, how the past has been elaborated into a contemporary view. To know more, I emailed Babylonstoren, and Liesl van der Walt, gardener, promptly and kindly answered me.
 

TravelinaGarden:  Is it the choice of vegetables and fruit trees at Babylonstoren connected to those cultivated at Company's Garden or is it based on different criteria (such as productivity, low maintenance and so on)? 

Painting 400

Social Birds and Social Herbs at Malmesbury,

 South Africa, Marianne North

Liesl van der Walt: Reading Jan van Riebeeck’s diaries(*) I am amazed at the diversity they where growing, experimenting with different food plants from around the world. We continue this tradition of diversity and are growing as many possible selections, old and new varieties. We are only restrained by what we can find, our Mediterranean climate and now that most of the garden is planted, space within the design.
            We look for links with food plants that where grown in the Company Gardens such as sweet potatoes which flourished in spite of the strong wind.  We have medlar & quince that were the first two fruit trees grown by Jan van Riebeeck.  We have Saffraan pear trees, cuttings from the old trees in the Company Gardens that may date back to Jan van Riebeeck’s lifetime.

TravelinaGarden:  With the Company's Garden, several plants from different parts of the world were introduced to South Africa, while local flora was neglected, at least in the first years. At Babylonstoren, how do you balance and incorporate the indigenous flora with the needs of the farm?  

Liesl van der Walt: We are very aware of the importance and value of our local flora.  On the farm we are fortunate to have our unique feature, the Babylonstoren hill still with its natural indigenous Fynbos vegetation surviving as a small wilderness area and habitat for wildlife.  From the hill we have a “green corridor” or link to the stream that runs past the garden.  This stream we call “Tigris” starts on the mountain above Simonsberg and flows down to the Bergriver, the most important river in our area.  The natural area with indigenous plants along the stream is not pristine, but we continually remove invasive exotics that threaten indigenous wildlife and focus on planting locally indigenous trees back along the banks.  This past winter we planted a wetland in a natural seepage area on the farm and last year we planted a new forest of locally indigenous trees next to the irrigation dam where we encourage birdlife. Between the vineyards we are experimenting with planting locally indigenous groundcovers as a green cover crop that also increase the natural diversity on the farm.
 
TravelinaGarden: In your future plans, are there other improvements inspired by the tradition of the Company's Garden or are you working according to different inspirations and desires?

Painting 423

A Medley from Groot Post, 

South Africa, Marianne North

Liesl van der Walt: Although the garden is inspired by the past, we think of it as a garden for the future.   The garden is linked to the hotel with guest cottages and our restaurants, future development would possibly be more around their requirements. 

TravelinaGarden:    I consider the Hanging Gardens of Babylon a source of inspiration for their iconic image of beauty and abundance; is there something more specific that links them to Babylonstoren? 

Liesl van der Walt: The low hill on the farm named Babylonstoren by the early Dutch settlers, is our link to Babel and Babylon. We do enjoy the stories & myths surrounding the “Hanging Gardens”, but at Babylonstoren I have only experienced the “wonder of creating a legendary garden” and fortunately not “confusion or arrogance” linked to Babel. 

TravelinaGarden:  I mentioned Patrice Taravella as the man who combined and elaborated these two different inspirations into Babylonstoren. I read he was chosen because of his style and experience, and, at Babylonstoren, I saw his unmistakable pergolas. Do you know if there is something that he brought back from Babylonstoren and from South Africa to the gardens in Europe?

Liesl van der Walt: He has seen at Babylonstoren that it can be good to do and learn as you go about it, in contrast to thinking and planning for many years before doing (after much planning for many years one can still make mistakes). 

TravelinaGarden: What are the most important projects in the near future for the garden? 

Very practical answer from the gardener – making more & better compost; collecting honey from the new hives; collecting interesting plants for display throughout the year in the Puff Adder (the new shade structure); developing the knowledge & skills of our gardening team and sharing our experience with visitors. 

At Babylonstoren, new projects are going on inspired by the surrounding nature, the love for beautiful and good things, and the pleasure to offer them. 
          

(*)  Jan van Riebeeck (1619-1677) was a commander of the Dutch East India Company and founder of Cape Town. 
 
Links:
Babylonstoren, R45 Road, between Paarl and Franschoek, Franschhoek, South Africa

www.babylonstoren.com/  
Photos:
Travelinagarden;
Paintings from Marianne North online Gallery, Kew Gardens, UK
http://www.kew.org/mng/gallery/africa.html 
Painting 400, Social Birds and Social Herbs at Malmesbury, South Africa Plants: Richardia aethiopica Bullrush, Typha latifolia Krippelboom, Leucospermum conocarpum Australian Gum Trees Animals: Finch.
Painting 423, A Medley from Groot Post, South Africa, Plants: Hyobanche, Babiana rubro-coerulea, Romulea, Aristea.