their 1804–1806 expedition into the territory of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. According to his letter from Fredericktown, Ohio, on 15 April 1803, Lewis purchased the soup from Francois Baillet, a cook in Philadelphia. He paid $289.50 for the 193 pounds of portable soup stored in "32 canisters". Lewis carried it with him overland to the embarkation point on the Ohio River. Decline By 1815, with the publication of physician Gilbert Blane's On the Comparative Health of the British Navy from 1779 to 1814, the efficacy of portable soup for promoting the health of sailors was found lacking. Opinion shifted in favour of canned meats, a process invented in France in 1806, and the proliferation of meat extract, invented by Justus von Liebig. A similar product, portable gelatin, was developed by American inventor Peter Cooper in 1845, as a staple meal or dessert for families. Nevertheless, as late as 1881 portable soup was still being described by the Household Cyclopedia as: Cultural references In Johann David Wyss's novel The Swiss Family Robinson (1812), set in the 1790s, portable soup makes a number of appearances. The youngest son, Franz, first mistakes it for glue, and then later suggests it be used as a substitute. The Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, set on the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars, is replete with references to portable soup. See also Aspic, another form of savoury jelly Chili con carne#Brick chili List of dried foods List of soups P'tcha, an Ashkenazi version of calves' foot jelly Pea soup#Germany References Further reading Layinka Swinburne, "Dancing with the Mermaids: Ship's Biscuit and Portable Soup", in Harlan Walker (ed.), Food on the Move (Totnes, 1997), pp. 309–20. External links "Portable Soup," from The Lady's Companion (1753) (scroll down to bottom of page) Soups Food preservation Dried foods Instant foods and drinks Military food History of food and drink de:Fleischextrakt#Vorl.C3.A4ufer in England