Porridge

For the hungry Viking

Millet porridge with nuts and stewed fruit

2 cups whole millet seeds 
2 cups water
4.5 cups milk 
A little salt
Nuts
Cinnamon
Honey
Stewed sweet fruit

Rinse the millet seeds under cold water. This will neutralize the bitterness of the seeds.

Bring the water to the boil in an earthenware pot, add the millet seeds and cook over low heat as you keep stirring. Add the milk and let the porridge simmer until the millet is tender. Season with salt. To prevent the porridge from burning, you may want to place the pot in a basket or box lined with hay.

Add honey, cinnamon and crushed hazelnuts to your liking. Serve with stewed fruit.

Buttermilk gruel

50 g butter
4 tablespoons wheat flour 
1.5 jug buttermilk
A little salt
Stewed blackcurrants

Melt the butter in a large earthenware pot. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the buttermilk a little at a time. Whisk well to avoid any lumps in the gruel. Ad a pinch of salt and let the gruel simmer until it starts to boil. Remember to stir occassionally.

Serve with stewed blackcurrants and honey on top.

Barley dumplings

1 jug milk
1 large cup barley flour
2 eggs
Salt
Water
1 piece of smoked bacon

In an earthenware pot, make a porridge of milk and barley flour. Or if you have some leftover barley porridge made of milk and crushed barley corn, this will do as well.

The porridge has to be completely cold. Stir in the eggs and a little salt. If you use leftover porridge as described above, you must add a little barley flour to form a smooth paste/dough.

Form into oblong balls/dumplings with a wooden spoon. To cook the dumplings, bring a pot of water with a pinch of salt to the boil. Carefully drop a few dumplings at a time into the water. They are done when they begin to float to the top. Wait a few minutes before you remove the dumplings to drain.

While cooking the dumplings, you also need to prepare the bacon. Dice the bacon and cook until crisp on a hot pan.

Serve the dumplings with the crispy bacon. 

Barley porridge

Barley groats can be cooked in water, cow's milk or buttermilk.

150 g barley groats
1.5 jug fluids (water, cow's milk or buttermilk)
A pinch of salt

Bring the fluids to the boil in an earthenware pot. Whisk in the barley groats and let it simmer until tender. Remember to stir occassionally to prevent the porridge from burning. Add a little salt. You may want to place the pot in a basket or box lined with hay to keep the porridge warm for a longer time.

Serve the porridge with honey, a little milk or stewed fruit.

1 jug = 1 liter approx.
1 cup = 150 ml approx.

Ribe VikingeCenter's 2012 project 'Nordic food is Viking food' is supported by  Region Syddanmark.