What the Heck Is Porridge?

[LesliePHX]

And do people really eat it?

So many Brits here, I figured someone would know! I thought porridge was some medieval food that made its way into fairy tales, I didn't think it really existed anymore, but I read on the CNN website tonight that McDonald's in England is gonna start selling porridge as part of its we're-not-just-a-big-bag-of-grease ad campaign over there.

money.cnn.com/2004/10/15/...tm?cnn=yes (http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/15/news/fortune500/mcdonalds_ad/index.htm?cnn=yes)

My dictionary says porridge is "a soft food made by boiling a meal of grains or legumes in milk or water until thick." Is it a breakfast food, like oatmeal?

I dunno, given the choice, I think I would go for Chinese take-out or something ...

[xiknal]

on that note...

Maybe our Brit members can decipher this nursery rhyme:

Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold;
Peas porridge in the pot, nine days old...

is this porridge made of mashed...peas?
it it edible after nine days???

inquiring minds want to know!:mg

[Passenger Mark]

As an Honorary Brit I can tell you I have never eaten porridge, and for that matter have never seen it. I really do not think that it exist. From the dictionary description it sounds like grits. Now I have seen that!

And yes... I am a Honorary Brit! A title I am proud of!!!!


:ukflag :bigplane :usflag

[noflyingfan]

I always thought porridge was something like Cream of Wheat. But I think that was just because that's what it looked like in a picture in a book of nursery rhymes I had when I was little.

[Expatbrit]

Porridge = Oatmeal
Some Brits (especially the Scots) prepare it a bit differently (with salt and water - yuck!) but I like mine with milk, raisins and brown suger.

Carole

[Expatbrit]

P.S. I don't think "peas porridge" means quite the same thing, but more like a kind of mush made of peas
if you're really interested in more info: www.wordskit.com/language...ease.shtml (http://www.wordskit.com/language/legends/pease.shtml)
:coffee

[noflyingfan]

This information comes from undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. They don't mention how good it is nine days old, however.

_____________

The origins of Porridge go far back into Scottish history. It used to be either cooked overnight or in the morning, eaten for breakfast and then the remainder left to set in slabs to be eaten during the day. There are many variations on the recipe. It is usually made, as below, with milk and cream though some recipes just use water with the oatmeal.


Ingredients

...and the Milk

Bringing to the Boil
Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

» 4 tablespoons medium oatmeal.
» ¾ pint water.
» ¼ pint milk.
» ½ teaspoon salt.
» 1 tablespoon cream.

Method:

1. Place the oatmeal, salt, water and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Once the mixture has reached the boil, turn it down to simmer and stir continuously for 10-15 minutes. The mixture will bubble and thicken, so it is essential to keep stirring to make sure no lumps occur.

3. When the mixture has thickened, add the tablespoon of cream and stir in thoroughly.

4. Remove from the heat.

5. A number of toppings can be added to the porridge. These include brown sugar and milk or cream, as well as honey or treacle, sweet fruits like redcurrants, raspberries or blackberries and some soft fudges and chocolates for the sweet toothed.

[WillFlyToDisney2]

The term "set in slabs" just sounds so appealing. LOL

Kelley
who eats GRITS for breakfast

[marypoppins76]

As others have said, it is generally oatmeal, though it can also be made from other grains such a quinoa.

Very easy to make, just add milk and bring to a gentle simmer. I make mine with vanilla soya milk which is wonderful, and means you don't have to add sugar. It also means my stomach won't be in knots afterwards (lactose intolerant y'see).

Go on, try it...

MP

[noflyingfan]

Have you tried Lactaid? I'm lactose intolerant too (also use soy milk whenever I can), but when nothing but real milk will do, Lactaid helps.

[MadScientist]

Since we're talking about nursery rhymes, have some of the Brits tell you the real meaning behind the "Ring Around the Roses, Pocket full of Posies" song. Also, the London Bridge is Falling Down song....especially the part where it says to send a man to watch all night. :shocked

[LesliePHX]

Ken, you're just saying that to bait me:

www.snopes.com/language/l.../rosie.htm (http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm)

[MadScientist]

:whistle :lol

I'm not so sure about the London Bridge one though. If I remember the story correctly, "send a man to watch all night" referred to an ancient pagan practice of burrying someone under a bridge so their spirit would keep it from falling. See what you can find on that one.

[LesliePHX]

I dunno about the London Bridge one.

I meant to thank everybody for all the info about porridge! After I read the thread, I quickly ate a pizza to recover.

[Disney fan]

Think you had your porridge explanations. Course oats boiled with milk until thick. Lots of sugar or syrup!! Cream added at the end.

Ring a roses.

SOng about the plague.

Atishooo Atishoooo all fall down!

They got the flue like symptoms and fell down dead!!!!

Not sure about London Bridge

Lynda

[Bronze Elephant]

As a real Brit I can tell you that the ryme peas porridge hot etc refers to Lady Jane Grey. A young girl who was put on the throne of England by her father. When the real Queen regained her power she cut Lady Jane Grey's head off at the tower of London. She was on the throne for nine days.

[mindymoo 2]

Ok on that note guys - what the heck is or are grits??:shocked
~ Mandy ~:ukflag

[spleisher]

"A ground, usually white meal of dried and hulled corn kernels that is boiled and served as a breakfast food or side dish."

That's what grits are... Like oatmeal, but made with corn. If you're eating them like you're supposed to, you would drench them in butter and salt.

Some people put sugar on them....:barf

[xiknal]

geez, BE...that's pretty barbaric, and sad! :cry And I used to think it was about mashed peas...

[mindymoo 2]

mmmmm.....:barf

[spleisher]

isn't that a lovely smiley???

[mindymoo 2]

Yes its fab and so descriptive!!!:barf sorry

[spleisher]

I have to laugh at that one. I kinda like this one too.

:fart

[spiffyone]

I believe "Ring around the rosy" is about the black plague.

Yersinia pestis, as it were.

But if anyone knows different, please correct me.

:hamster

[LesliePHX]

Spiffy, according to snopes, that's an urban legend:

www.snopes.com/language/l.../rosie.htm (http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm)

[JPenny]

Ring around the rosie (black plague brought diarrhea, thus the ring around your behind from sitting on the pot so long)

Pocket full of posies (people wore posies in their pocket to indicated a family member had died)

Ashes, ashes (they burned the dead)

We all fall down (everybody was falling down dead from it).

I also heard that Humpty Dumpty was a hated king who surrounded himself with "yes men" and rode a horse named "Wall". He was round and fat. One day he fell off his horse and broke his neck, and all his yes-men couldn't do a thing about it.

But then, I'm not from England, so I could be wrong . . .

Jean

[LesliePHX]

Jean, wait. This is the fourth time the ring-around-the-rosie/plague myth has been mentioned in this thread. Isn't anybody visiting the website I keep posting which pretty much debunks the idea that the rhyme ever had anything to do with the plague?

This is the website:

www.snopes.com/language/l.../rosie.htm (http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm)

[mindymoo 2]

Hi Leslie,
i have looked at the web site you suggested, and i agree with you ..but..you must remember that Ring O Ring O Roses is a kind of british institution that has to be upheld!! lol that and the Loch Ness Monster....:wired
~ Mandy~



:ukflag
rule britannia and all that....