Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

The Canadian Habitant company that was famous for its Quebec style
yellow split pea and ham soup, is now owned by Campbells of Canada,

How the fallen hath fallen.

Actually Cambell's didn't mess with the recipe unlike the evil
Kraft-Heinz company when they either change (cheapen and sweeten)
their own products or acquire iconic brands just for the name and
reputation and then mess with the formula.

I just bought some Heinz 57 sauce for the first time in decades and
it is utterly sweet and truly disgusting. The very first ingredient
on the label is glucose-fructose ahead of both tomato paste and
water! They did the same thing to A1 and HP, both venerable British
condiments that used to be wonderful. I doctored the 57 sauce with
tomato sauce, vinegar, Frank's and more vinegar but in future I'll
make my own, just as I do HP.

it was generally a riff on that pea soup. Often vegetarian,
which was a curiously tasteless offering.

Not in Canada. The label ingredients are: water, yellow peas, smoked
ham, lard, salt, hydrolyzed corn protein, onion powder, spices.
Yeah, lard. And I can definitely taste the ham. Granted, when I make
my own yellow split pea soup mine uses stock and is much meatier.

Cheers

Jim


... Campbell's least popular soups: Old-fashioned Grease and Weasel

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Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

I was suspicious of that Campbell takeover you described.

They have owned the brand for a while now and haven't messed with
it. I did some digging and here's the history:

Habitant soup was established in 1918, but the commercialized
Habitant soup began in 1920 when Joseph Philias Morin started the
Dominion Preserving Co. Ltd. in Montreal.

Catelli Foods, a Montreal concern founded in 1867, acquired the
Habitant brand in 1954 when it purchased the Dominion Preserving Co.
Ltd.

Catelli started up in 1867 and was Canada's very first pasta
company; it is still around.

The Campbell Soup company owns the Habitant brand now. Campbell
bought it from Catelli Foods in 1989.

it was generally a riff on that pea soup. Often vegetarian,
which was a curiously tasteless offering.

Not in Canada.

I just discovered that they make two versions Habitant French
Canadian Pea Soup (almost vegetarian, with just a trace amount of
lard) and Habitant Pea Soup with Smoked Ham which is the kind I
always get.

The bulk flakes are generally too big

I prefer to buy them and grind my own onion powder in small batches
as the flakes stay flavourful longer than the powder.

There are situations where dried has its uses that
fresh can't duplicate.

For the same reason I like to have fresh, dried and pickled garlic
all on hand.

vindaloo really means potato and vinegar

Portuguese words for wine and garlic (vinho e alho).

until not
too too long ago I believed those who said that
vindaloo meant hot potatoes and might have spread
that misconception myself.

Same here.

Slow cooker chicken curry
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
15 oz cn chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 md sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
Serve over rice

Underseasoned but also that's a lot of carb foods for a mere pound
of meat. If that had just the chickpeas or a single sweet potato it
just might be OK.




Cheers

Jim


... Cayenne pepper. One man's dash is another man's half bottle

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Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

What form did the original establishment take?

It took some digging but the old factory building in Montreal still
stands and has been converted into a gentrified condo. It's located
at 5120 St Dominique St in Montreal and can be seen on Google
Streetscape.

Catelli started up in 1867 and was Canada's very first pasta
company; it is still around.

I wasn't that I recall fond of it

Their stuff is middle of the road supermarket OK but nothing
wonderful.

Barilla

It's no worse. My usual buy is actually Loblaws "No-Name" which is
60% cheaper than either of them and not horrible so long as it's not
over cooked.

Which makes one wonder why anyone would bother
going to the store for pea soup.

I usually make my own but do keep a can on hand in case I want a
quick light meal.

Chef Marc Miron

He is now retired from the high pressure fancy hotel restaurant
world and running a little low key, take home food business and
cooking school in Orleans, a small city (where Barrie Lax lives)
just outside of his hometown of Ottawa, called Cuisine & Passion.

Cheers

Jim


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