Annie Rauwerda — known on TikTok as @depthsofwikipedia — has finally rung in Stew Summer, describing the experience as “the first day of the rest of my life.” The writer and comedian is known for delving deep into the recesses of Wikipedia and sharing her spin on its occasionally valuable, but mostly ludicrous, content. However, Annie’s recent “medieval behavior,” a foray into the world of perpetual stew-making, deserves a spotlight.
What is perpetual stew?
Ever heard of a mother dough? Well, perpetual stew follows a similar logic. Perpetual stew stays on simmer for days, months, and even years at a time. As the days progress, you add more ingredients and continue to build on the flavor of the original recipe. The stew’s long lifespan encourages fermentation, which accounts for its notable spicy-sour flavor.
How to make perpetual stew
Perpetual stew, otherwise known as hunter’s stew, hails back to the 14th century. The traditional recipe placed meats with some herbs, vegetables, fruits, wines, spices, and sauerkraut in a pot to simmer for a few days. Over time, as the stew continued to simmer, you added new food scraps and spices. You can find an easy-to-follow recipe here, but you really only need potatoes, meat, some spices, and broth to get the party started.
For those afraid of spending a week in bed with food poisoning, you cook the stew at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit on the stove or in a slow cooker, keeping the mixture from spoiling and making the broth uninhabitable for the dangerous bacteria responsible for food-borne illnesses.
Why you should make perpetual stew
Although perpetual stew offers the health benefits associated with fermented foods and helps decrease food waste, Annie’s videos are largely dedicated to the stew’s ability to foster community. Annie made the stew with the help of several friends, each bringing their own ingredients to the pot across the span of different days. Although she was a bit disgusted with the friend who added dill, she tolerated the addition because making the perpetual stew is a communal process. However, if you’re looking to maximize flavor, maybe don’t invite any of your friends with mediocre taste buds. To weed those friends out, I suggest asking them their views on Swedish fish. If they like Swedish fish, don’t let them anywhere near your stew.
Other Annie Rauwerda stuff you need to check out
I think everyone has to read “In Search Of A Hot Pink Bitch Named Breakfast.” Annie applies extensive journalistic fervor to a search for the dog behind the magenta fur, a Pomeranian named Breakfast. The piece rattles off one iconically goofy comment after another, like, “if you were a hot pink bitch named Breakfast, where would you be?” and “unique among internet-famous pets, Breakfast has no curated online presence, no brand deals, no intention to be anything other than a hot pink bitch.” If this brand of shenanigans interests you, check out Annie’s potato milk article, along with the rest of her authorial canon.