Would you eat a 100 year-old perpetual stew?
Posted on byKarin Kloosterman inFood
Would you eat a 100 year-old stew?
Could one pot of stew last for decades—or even a century? Cooks in several traditions say yes. The idea behind aperpetual stew is simple: a pot of broth or stew is served, replenished, and carefully maintained so that its base is never completely replaced. In Chinese kitchens, a related practice is themaster stock used to braise meats; some restaurants claim to have maintained the same stock—continuously refreshed—for generations. The value isn’t mystical; it’s about disciplined food safety and the remarkable flavors that develop when a broth is nurtured over time.
Long-lived stews and master stocks depend on strict routines. The liquid is brought to a full rolling boil at least once every 24 hours, then strained to remove perishables that could spoil, topped up with fresh water or stock, and rapidly cooled. In modern kitchens the pot is refrigerated between boils. If the liquid is neglected, turns sour, or shows off odors, it must be discarded. When the cycle is respected, the result is a stable, intensely flavored broth that can be maintained for years.
Why this tradition is sustainable?
Perpetual stews minimize waste by turning bones, trimmings, and leftovers into nourishment instead of landfill. Energy use can also be efficient when the stock is heated alongside other cooking. The method encourages seasonal, local eating: whatever is fresh—greens, grains, legumes, or scraps from the day’s prep—can go in, keeping the pot aligned with what’s available and affordable.
Perpetual stews sit comfortably in the wider world of fermentation—another time-tested way to coax nutrition and flavor from simple ingredients. For deeper context, see our conversation with fermentation pioneer Sandor Katz,“a conversation about fermentation for the future”, and our early review of his classic,Wild Fermentation. Fermentation know-how pervades everyday foods: fromhomemade kombucha and the rise ofhard kombucha to naturally leavened breads like thesourdough starter you can culture on your counter and the pragmaticschedule that keeps it alive.
In our region, bread and ferments are living heritage. Explore Levant and Persian traditions inMiddle Eastern bread, meet bakers reviving landraces inancient wheat sourdough, and geek out with archaeology inEgyptian yeast revived after 5,000 years. For the health angle, see howfermented foods can support your gut and how certainprobiotics may even influence sleep. Curious about culture and faith? We’ve covered questions likewhether kombucha is halal, and you can browse many more stories in ourfermentation archive and the broaderFood section.
Perpetual stew vs. fermented foods
Kefir is a type of fermented milk that may help manage blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and boost digestive health, among other benefits. However, more evidence is needed to back some of these claims. The name kefir comes from the Turkish word “keyif,” which refers to the “good feeling” a person gets after drinking it.
But, perpetual stew isn’t fermentation; it’s a cooked, frequently reboiled system designed to remain safe through heat, hygiene, and refreshment. Fermentation relies on beneficial microbes to transform raw ingredients at cool temperatures. Both methods extend shelf life, reduce waste, and build flavor, but they operate on different principles. In a sustainable kitchen they complement each other: fermented vegetables, breads, and drinks provide live cultures and bright acidity, while a master stock adds savory depth and turns scraps into meals.
If you want to try this at home for a week or more, keep the process simple and consistent. Start with a clean pot and a base of bones or vegetable trimmings, simmer gently to extract flavor, strain, and cool. Each day, bring the stock to a rolling boil for several minutes, skim, add fresh aromatics and water to restore volume, strain if needed, and refrigerate promptly. Use the broth to poach beans and grains, braise vegetables, or fortify stews; return the remaining liquid to the pot and repeat. If anything smells off, don’t take chances—compost it and start over.
Century-old master stocks are best thought of as a continuous practice rather than a single unchanged liquid. The flavor “memory” persists because yesterday’s molecules mingle with today’s additions, but safety depends on today’s boil, today’s strain, and today’s cooling. The concept echoes fermentation’s long arc through food and even technology—think of early bioprocess breakthroughs likeChaim Weizmann’s acetone-butanol fermentation—reminding us that microbes and time are powerful allies when we work with them responsibly.
Author:Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to[email protected]
About Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable.Reach out directly to[email protected]
