A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter’s pot, or hunter’s stew, is a pot into which foodstuffs are placed and cooked, continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer if properly maintained. The concept is often a common element in descriptions of medieval inns.
Foods prepared in a perpetual stew have been described as being flavorful due to the manner in which the ingredients blend together. Various ingredients can be used in a perpetual stew such as root vegetables, tubers (potatoes, yams, etc.), and various meats.
My favourite soup is the garbage disposal soup. Throw all your food scraps into the freezer and at the end of the week boil it in a soup/stock.
This hunters malarkey would require you to add edible food and keep it cooking, which just sounds expensive on every level.
We called this “Moscow Soup” at the last couple kitchens I worked in.
Us: Uh, Chef, that’s a lot of different ingredients and leftovers you’re throwing in that soup pot…
Chef: I’m making Moscow Soup! You know how to make Moscow Soup? It’s easy: whatever you’ve got on hand, goes in the pot!
It’s not something you would do at home, more of a restaurant thing.
I do this at home to make stock. It takes me more like 2 months to save enough to make a gallon of stock, and I also save bones. It’s never outstanding (typically too onion-y) but more than serviceable.
Tried this last year for 2 months. Adding edible food was just another potato or vegetable and water/stock, and it doesn’t need to be heated the whole time, it’d get fridged at night, but between lunch and dinner times I’d put it up to stew.