Booyah (stew)
Encyclopedia
Booya or booyah is a thick soup
of unknown origin made throughout the Upper Midwest
ern United States
. Booya often requires up to two days and multiple cooks to prepare; it is cooked in specially designed "booya kettles" and usually meant to serve hundreds or even thousands of people. The name also refers to the event surrounding the meal. Alternative spellings include bouja, boulyaw, and bouyou.
derived from meat bones, to which vegetables are added. Beef
, chicken
, and pork
are popular varieties of meat for booya (with all three often added in the same kettle), with vegetables such as carrot
s, rutabaga
, celery
, and potato
es also in the mix. A wide variety of seasoning
s are used, sometimes lowered into the kettle in a cheesecloth
bag.
Typical large-scale "booya kettles" can hold more than 50 gallons (189.3 l) of the stew, and are made from steel to withstand direct heat. Some community groups and churches have their own kettles, generally custom-made for charity events, while other groups rely on municipal kettles.
in the early 1900s.
words for "to boil" (bouillir), and subsequently broth (bouillon
). The spelling with an "h" is attributed to the phonetic spelling
by Wallonian
immigrants. The Dictionary of American Regional English
attributes it to French Canadian
immigrants; others attribute to it a derivation from the Provençal
seafood dish bouillabaisse
.
An article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette on , speculating on the origin of the spelling and related fundraiser event, reads:
In the last decade, the name has typically been shortened to "booya."
gatherings, and in smaller amounts at private gatherings, sometimes combined with booya cooking contests.
The Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota
, holds five kettles with a total yield of 350 gallons (1,324.9 l) of booyah. The kettles have been around for several decades, but as of December 2003, there is controversy regarding the safety of the burners used to heat them.
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
of unknown origin made throughout the Upper Midwest
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
ern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Booya often requires up to two days and multiple cooks to prepare; it is cooked in specially designed "booya kettles" and usually meant to serve hundreds or even thousands of people. The name also refers to the event surrounding the meal. Alternative spellings include bouja, boulyaw, and bouyou.
Cooking
In the cooking of booya, one makes a base or brothBroth
Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...
derived from meat bones, to which vegetables are added. Beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, and pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
are popular varieties of meat for booya (with all three often added in the same kettle), with vegetables such as carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s, rutabaga
Rutabaga
The rutabaga, swede , turnip or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip; see Triangle of U...
, celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
, and potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es also in the mix. A wide variety of seasoning
Seasoning
Seasoning is the process of imparting flavor to, or improving the flavor of, food.- General meaning :Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings"...
s are used, sometimes lowered into the kettle in a cheesecloth
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is a loosewoven gauze-like cotton cloth used primarily in cheese making and cooking.Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the number of threads per inch in each direction.- Uses :The primary use of...
bag.
Typical large-scale "booya kettles" can hold more than 50 gallons (189.3 l) of the stew, and are made from steel to withstand direct heat. Some community groups and churches have their own kettles, generally custom-made for charity events, while other groups rely on municipal kettles.
History
Booya is thought to have been invented by Clarence Rogers of WalhainWalhain
Walhain is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Walloon Brabant. It consists of the former municipalities of Nil-Saint-Vincent-Saint-Martin, Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert and Walhain-Saint-Paul....
in the early 1900s.
Etymology
The name "booyah" is thought to have derived from the French languageFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
words for "to boil" (bouillir), and subsequently broth (bouillon
Bouillon (broth)
Bouillon, in French cuisine, is simply a broth. This name comes from the verb bouillir, meaning to boil. It is usually made by the simmering of mirepoix and aromatic herbs with either beef, veal, or poultry bones and/or with shrimp, or vegetables in boiling water.This is not to be confused with...
). The spelling with an "h" is attributed to the phonetic spelling
Phonemic orthography
A phonemic orthography is a writing system where the written graphemes correspond to phonemes, the spoken sounds of the language. In terms of orthographic depth, these are termed shallow orthographies, contrasting with deep orthographies...
by Wallonian
Walloons
Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
immigrants. The Dictionary of American Regional English
Dictionary of American Regional English
The Dictionary of American Regional English is a record of American English as spoken in the United States, from its beginning up to the present...
attributes it to French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
immigrants; others attribute to it a derivation from the Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
seafood dish bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a seafood soup made with various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of...
.
An article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette on , speculating on the origin of the spelling and related fundraiser event, reads:
In the last decade, the name has typically been shortened to "booya."
Modern day
The traditional stew is still made in northern and northeastern Wisconsin and greater Minnesota at church picnics, county fairs, VFWVFW
VFW may refer to:*Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke*Veterans of Foreign Wars*Veterans of Future Wars*Video for Windows*VFW Parkway...
gatherings, and in smaller amounts at private gatherings, sometimes combined with booya cooking contests.
The Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, holds five kettles with a total yield of 350 gallons (1,324.9 l) of booyah. The kettles have been around for several decades, but as of December 2003, there is controversy regarding the safety of the burners used to heat them.