Recipe archive
Loading
Setting the table...
Fetching the latest recipes from the archive.
Loading
Fetching the latest recipes from the archive.
Recipe archive
1800-1860 - American home cooks and family kitchens
Split pea soup is a hearty, thick soup often made with dried peas, ham, vegetables, and seasonings, a staple of American one-pot cooking across many eras, prized for economy and nutrition.
Community-powered photos. Reviewers can upload dish photos, and the highest-rated community image may be featured here.
Difficulty
Easy
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
1 hour 30 minutes
Total time
1 hour 40 minutes
Servings
6
Region
New England, Dutch American, and Pennsylvania German pea-soup kitchens
Era introduced
1800-1860
Introduced by
American home cooks and family kitchens
Recipe tools
Log in to save this recipe to a collection.
Split pea soup has long been a symbol of economical, nourishing American cooking, used in many households for its simplicity and satisfying flavor. It often features dried green or yellow split peas slowly simmered with ham or ham hocks, onions, carrots, and celery. This soup reflects the tradition of one-pot American meals that stretch pantry staples into comforting fare enjoyed across regions and generations.
Share family changes, regional twists, or pantry-friendly adaptations as full community recipes.
Log in to submit a community recipe.
No community recipes yet. Submitted recipes are published right away.
Rate this recipe and share how it worked at your table.
Log in to review this recipe.
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate this recipe.
Recipes matched by era, region, occasion, ingredients, and cultural roots from the archive.
Same era
America's Melting Pot
Acorn Bread photo coming soon
1800-1860
A nutty, lightly sweet quick bread made with properly leached acorn flour, cornmeal, and wheat flour.
1800-1860
A German-American apple strudel made with crisp apples, raisins, cinnamon, buttered crumbs, and flaky phyllo for a practical home version of a Central European pastry.
America's Melting Pot
Asparagus photo coming soon
1800s/early 1900s-present
A bright American Easter asparagus side, quickly cooked and dressed with lemon butter, herbs, and hard-cooked egg in the spirit of old spring-table recipes.
Same region
America's Melting Pot
Acorn Bread photo coming soon
1800-1860
A nutty, lightly sweet quick bread made with properly leached acorn flour, cornmeal, and wheat flour.
America's Melting Pot
Bialys photo coming soon
1880-2026
Bialys are not bagels without holes. They are their own Ashkenazi bread: baked rather than boiled, dimpled in the center, and traditionally filled with onion and sometimes poppy seeds. Polish Jewish immigrants brought them to New York, where bakeries kept the tradition alive.
1900-2026
Black and white cookies are New York bakery icons, commonly linked to Glaser Bake Shop in Yorkville and to German Jewish bakery traditions. Their half-vanilla, half-chocolate tops made them instantly recognizable on deli and bakery counters.
Same table
1800s-present
Ham and bean soup is a hearty, economical stew that sustained workers in American railroads, mining camps, and boardinghouses during the late 19th century. Utilizing leftover ham and dried beans, it embodies practical, resourceful cooking of the Reconstruction and settlement era.
1800-1860
Potato Soup is a simple, hearty soup likely popular among Irish-American families, combining potatoes, onions, and cream or milk to create a warming dish during the expansion and immigration period.
America's Melting Pot
Onion Gravy photo coming soon
1800s-present
Onion Gravy is a condiment with real American table personality: Meatloaf, hamburger steak, pot roast. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.