Ask an Estonian what to eat on vastlapäev, the Estonian Shrovetide, and the answer comes in two parts: a bowl of hernesupp, then a vastlakukkel, the cardamom bun split and filled with whipped cream. The soup is the serious part. By late winter the household's store of pork had often dwindled to the legs, and these were cooked with dried peas or beans to make a last hearty meal before the fast. The old name for the day, lihaheide, meant something like the casting off of meat. Restaurants across the country still put pea soup on the menu that day.

Like most Estonian home cooking it is thrifty, patient and better the next day. Cooks in the south of the country traditionally added barley, those in the north carrots and potatoes; our version, like many modern ones, keeps all three and lets nobody feel left out. The smoked pork does the seasoning, the peas collapse into a thick, comforting purée, and a little mustard brightens the lot. It is one pot food for a cold race weekend, and it can sit quietly on the stove until the checkered flag.

The soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) yellow split peas
• 1/2 cup (100 g) pearl barley
• 2 lb (900 g) smoked pork on the bone
• 12 cups (2.8 liters) cold water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 to 3 teaspoons sharp mustard
• to taste fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley

Method

1. Rinse the peas and barley together in the sieve under cold running water, then put them in the large bowl and cover with cold water by about 2 inches (5 cm). Leave to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Put the smoked pork in the soup pot, add the 12 cups of cold water, the bay leaf and allspice, and bring slowly to a boil over medium high heat. As it comes to the boil, grey foam will rise; skim it off with the spoon and discard it.
3. Drain the peas and barley and add them to the pot. Return to a boil, then turn the heat down so the soup barely bubbles. Set the lid ajar and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, because peas like to stick.
4. Add the onion, carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes more, stirring often. If the soup gets too thick to stir easily, add hot water a ladleful at a time.
5. Lift the pork onto the cutting board and let it cool for 5 minutes. Pull the meat off the bones with the two forks, discard the bones, skin and any gristle, and shred or chop the meat into bite size pieces. Return the meat to the soup.
6. Fish out the bay leaf and allspice. Stir in 2 teaspoons of mustard and plenty of black pepper. Taste, then add salt only if it needs it and more mustard if you like a sharper soup.

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