Christmas porridge is not just porridge and side dishes, but has a strong emotional charge.
Food historian Ritva Kylli says she is a bad rice porridge cook. – I always burn it to the bottom! Kylli reveals. His favorite sprinkle on Christmas rice porridge is a combination of cinnamon and sugar. Jani Lehtinen
- Christmas porridge is now served with the most imaginative side dishes.
- Porridge is available in fine hotels, pop-up points and Christmas markets.
- The wonderfulness of porridge is explained on the one hand by its nostalgia and on the other hand by its ability to easily adapt to trends.
– Everyone is talking about porridge now. It’s unfathomable! Shops even sell porridge Christmas calendars! wonders the food historian who has written several books on food history Ritva Kylli.
– It surprises me that many portions of Christmas porridge are now so overpriced, says Kylli.
Iltalehti has reported that hotels, restaurants, cafes, Christmas markets and pop-up points are now attracting Christmas porridge.
One example of porridge addiction can be found in Tampere, where Heart of Spain sells Spanish Christmas porridge, arroz con leche. Many different types of Christmas porridge are sold at the Tuomaa market in Helsinki’s Senatintor.
Traditional rice porridge with cinnamon and sugar is offered, but customers are also attracted by the most abundant special rice porridge.
The hit food is modified
Christmas rice porridge is no longer just rice porridge, it is luxury porridge.
Christmas porridge is made even better with, among other things, browned butter, berries, fir oil, blueberry foam, whisky, and roasted marshmallows.
Rich Christmas porridge toppings taste good, but they also look good.
– On Instagram, it looks good when the porridge has all kinds of sörsels on it, Kylli summarizes.
The basic essence of porridge is that it can be modified and is suitable for everyday life and celebrations. According to Kyll, these are the qualities that can make a dish a hit.
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The return of the porridge calendar
Raisio’s Elovena brand porridge Christmas calendar has also been a hit.
Sales Manager Minna Ottavainen says that sometimes there was also a calendar on sale with snack bars and cookies instead of portions of porridge flakes, but based on consumer feedback, they returned to the porridge calendar.
– According to customer feedback, the calendar has been purchased for the pleasure of people of all ages, says Ottavainen.
A presentation of wealth
Rich porridge side dishes and sprinkles are nothing new.
Already in the 18th century, prosperity was also visible on a plate of porridge. The wealthiest could buy the expensive rice brought to the country with the salt ships. A wonderful white Christmas porridge was made from the rice instead of the former gray barley porridge.
– The first Finnish cookbook, published in 1849 The Cook Book recommended putting sugar and cinnamon on top of the “riskryin porridge”, says Kylli.
When rice porridge began to become common in Finnish Christmas at the beginning of the 20th century, it was usually served with cinnamon and sugar or mixed fruit soup, but it was also sometimes advised to add, for example, apple puree.
Rice porridge and mixed fruit soup is still the true taste of Christmas for many.
At the Tuomaa market in Helsinki’s Senatintor, Helsinki Distilling Company’s Christmas porridge is available, with whiskey custard, lingonberry gel, gingerbread crumbs and roasted marshmallows ATTE KAJOVA
Nourishing porridge
Porridge can be called comfort food. It also represents nostalgia.
The sweetness of childhood Christmas porridge can be a memory that you want to experience again and again.
Porridge is also associated with another season of positive mood charging. It’s food with thought mixed with love.
– In Finland, for centuries there has been the ideal of a kitchen woman who simmers food. The woman prepared warm, long-simmering, spoonable food, says Kylli.
– Porridge concentrates the nourishment of the food. Wonderful warm porridge nourishes body and soul. You can count on that. With that, we feel like decent people.
Christmas porridge can look so berry-like. ATTE KAJOVA
A basic pillar
Kylli reminds us that porridge has been one of the main pillars of the Finnish diet, just like bread.
– You could talk about everyday porridge as well as everyday bread.
There are also economic reasons for the Christmastime porridge boom.
The basic ingredients of porridge, i.e. water, milk and groats, are inexpensive, so the seller can get a decent profit from the porridge. Cooking does not require great skills.
It is easy to prepare a lot of porridge at once in a large pot. Ready warm porridge remains tasty for a long time.
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An antidote to getting stuck in the world
Oatmeal really came to Finns’ breakfast tables only when stores started selling instant oatmeal. Until then, it had taken so much time to simmer the porridge that there was no time for it in the busy morning.
Ritva Kylli has found the following hymn for oatmeal in a magazine published in 1933.
“And if you’re in a bad mood and your stomach is grumpy and disgusted with the world, put some good oatmeal in there – it will settle there like a dose of peace and gentleness. (…)
After a good dose of oatmeal, you think the world is always better and more beautiful, people are more tolerable, and you yourself are a rebel. If there is a draft and a small mug in one of the homes, the cook can put good oatmeal in the bellies, and the likely weather will improve immediately.”