Origin
The origins of this rhyme are unknown. The name refers to a type of porridge made from peas, pease pudding, also known as pease pottage (in Middle English). ("Pease" was treated as a mass noun, similar to "oatmeal" and the singular "pea" and plural "peas" arose by back-formation.)
The earliest recorded version of Pease Porridge Hot is a riddle found in John Newbery's Mother Goose's Melody (c. 1760).
- Pease Porridge hot,
- Pease Porridge cold,
- Pease Porridge in the Pot
- Nine Days old,
- Spell me that in four Letters?
- I will, T.
Where the terms "pease pudding" and "pease pottage" are used, the lyrics of the rhyme are altered accordingly.
Read more about this topic: Pease Porridge Hot
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