It’s that time of the year again! “Grøt” A Norwegian dessert-like porridge that warms your belly and heart in the cold winters! 🙂
According to Wikipedia, porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped grain in water and/or milk, often with flavorings. It is usually served hot in a bowl.
Sounds bland and boring doesn’t it? I think most of us associate porridge with tastelessness or something that’s been overcooked and looks like baby food. Yuck!
But wait until you try GOOD porridge – WOW! Norwegians certainly know how to turn plain rice into something truly delectable. So delicious in fact that even people who aren’t rice pudding fans (that’s you Ben) will scarf down a bowl of Norwegian porridge in record time.
PORRIDGE VS OATMEAL
Many of us (including me) have wondered at one point or another what the difference between porridge and oatmeal is. Are they the same?
Here are a couple of bullet points (and a lovely graphic!) that quickly answers this question.
Oatmeal can only be made with oats whereas porridge can be made with rice, barley, oatmeal or any other grains or legumes, as long as it’s boiled in water, milk or broth.
Think of porridge as a category and inside that category you will find all the types of porridges like oatmeal, cornmeal, etc..
Traditional Norwegian porridge is usually served for lunch the day before Christmas. The leftovers are then used to make riskrem (rice cream), a dessert made with cold rice porridge topped with whipped cream and raspberry (or strawberry) sauce. A whole almond is then hidden in the dessert and the person who finds it wins a marzipan candy in the shape of a pig. Sounds like a fun and festive tradition to have with family and friends!
NORWEGIAN PORRIDGE (RISGRØT)
What a delicious breakfast treat! This Norwegian porridge recipe is creamy, salty and sweet and is served with a sprinkle of cinnamon and dried cranberries on top.
NORWEGIAN PORRIDGE RECIPE
WHAT IS PORRIDGE?
According to Wikipedia, porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped grain in water and/or milk, often with flavorings. It is usually served hot in a bowl.
Sounds bland and boring doesn’t it? I think most of us associate porridge with tastelessness or something that’s been overcooked and looks like baby food. Yuck!
But wait until you try GOOD porridge – WOW! Norwegians certainly know how to turn plain rice into something truly delectable. So delicious in fact that even people who aren’t rice pudding fans (that’s you Ben) will scarf down a bowl of Norwegian porridge in record time.
Norwegian-porridge-ingredients
PORRIDGE VS OATMEAL
Many of us (including me) have wondered at one point or another what the difference between porridge and oatmeal is. Are they the same?
Here are a couple of bullet points (and a lovely graphic!) that quickly answers this question.
Oatmeal can only be made with oats whereas porridge can be made with rice, barley, oatmeal or any other grains or legumes, as long as it’s boiled in water, milk or broth.
Think of porridge as a category and inside that category you will find all the types of porridges like oatmeal, cornmeal, etc..
Traditional Norwegian porridge is usually served for lunch the day before Christmas. The leftovers are then used to make riskrem (rice cream), a dessert made with cold rice porridge topped with whipped cream and raspberry (or strawberry) sauce. A whole almond is then hidden in the dessert and the person who finds it wins a marzipan candy in the shape of a pig. Sounds like a fun and festive tradition to have with family and friends!
I’ve made a few minor changes to the traditional Norwegian porridge recipe because I wanted to give it a healthy kick. I cut down the sugar by half and added honey instead, and I am using 1% milk as opposed to whole milk. I have to admit I was a little nervous that the porridge would come out lacking richness but it turns out using 1% milk didn’t affect the texture at all! The porridge is still creamy, thick and incredibly satisfying!
It’s the perfect balance of salty and sweet, and comes with a lovely hint of vanilla. The addition of dried cranberries gives this Norwegian porridge a pop of color and fruitiness. You can do with or without or substitute it for other dried fruits or even nuts! Play around with the toppings until you find the right combination for you and enjoy it with a warm cup of pumpkin spice latte!
Other porridge recipes you might be interested to try: ginger and cilantro congee and okayu (Japanese congee).