Traditional Gruel Gets Modern Day Makeover

For some, it's called oatmeal. For others, it's called porage. For still others, it's called mush. And yet for still others, it's called gruel. Gruel, a beverage or thin soup made from boiling grains in water or milk, has long been an important part of our diet.

Ask any experienced mom what the first solid food she introduced her children to was and she will most often reply rice cereal. And how was that rice grain prepared? Mixed with water or milk to produce a soupy consistency readily swallowed by infants.

Gruel provides nourishment long after the bowl is empty. For this reason, I gladly added a little cereal to my children's formula at bedtime as the pediatrician suggested. A full tummy meant less late night feedings. A happy, sleeping baby inevitably meant a happy, sleeping mommy.

As my children's tummies became adjusted to the rice gruel over time, I introduced wheat gruel and oat gruel respectively. Soon after they were gulping down lovely servings of gruel to which I would swirl in a tablespoon or two of strained applesauce, bananas, peaches or plums. They loved their gruel and it was easy on my wallet!

Gruel has long been considered a means to stretch meager funds. In Colonial America, Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography wrote, "From my example, a great part of them left their muddling breakfast of beer and bread and cheese, finding they could with me be supplied from a neighboring house with a large porringer of hot water-gruel, sprinkled with pepper, crumbed with bread, and a bit of butter in it, for the price of a pint of beer, viz., three halfpence. This was a more comfortable as well as cheaper breakfast, and kept their heads clearer."

Unfortunately both its economical reputation and appetizing image suffered a major setback in 1834 with the publication of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. In the book, Dickens wrote, "So they established the rule that all poor people should have the alternative (for they would compel nobody, not they) of being starved by a gradual process in the house, or by a quick one out of it. With this view, they contracted with the waterworks to lay on an unlimited supply of water, and with a corn-factor to supply periodically small quantities of oatmeal, and issued three meals of thin gruel a day, with an onion twice a week and half a roll on Sundays." Dickens's unflattering description of the gruel being served in orphanages at the time was accurate, however, the point he was trying to make was not meant to portray the positive aspects of gruel but to expose the atrocities inflicted upon the poor in London at that time.

Initially consumed as a beverage, gruel has evolved over time into a versatile sweet or savory dish served in all parts of the world. Traditionally, it is made with oat or corn grains however; barley, wheat, millet and rice have their place in recipes too.

The Aztec and Mayan civilizations often consumed corn gruel called atolli. The basic recipe called for boiling water, corn and lime, which had first been cooked and grounded. To this they would sometimes add maguey syrup or ground chili, salt and tomato. When traveling they would pack ground toasted corn in sacks for mixing with water.

In Ethiopia and Eritrea Ga'at, a thickened gruel made with barley flour and water is served for breakfast. When cooked, it is served with tesmi and berbere spooned on top and some yogurt.

In Friesland in the Netherlands, watergruel or krintsjebrij, a berry gruel made with barley and berries, is served for dessert.

Cuccia, a traditional Sicilian dish eaten on Santa Lucia Day, is made with wheat berries boiled in water. It is a thickened gruel served for breakfast to which sugar, butter and milk can be added.

Chatang, a traditional gruel made from millet and water, is commonly eaten in Beijing, China. Unlike typical gruel the grain is first stir fried and then mixed with hot water much the same way as done with instant oatmeal. Before eating it is sweetened with sugar.

Rice gruels are popular throughout Asia for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are usually prepared by boiling uncooked long grain rice in water (approximately 1 cup rice to 10 cups water for about an hour). Breakfast gruels are sweet while lunch and dinner gruels most often include chunks of beef, pork, poultry, or fish, vegetables, fresh herbs and spices.

Modern day gruel has taken the simple grain and water recipe of years past and transformed it into a wholesome, nutritious and economical dish suiting taste buds from all parts of the world.

References:

"Krentjebrij." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Aug 2007, 14:26 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov 2007 .

"Gruel." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Oct 2007, 12:32 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov 2007.

"Chatang." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 9 Sep 2007, 14:52 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov 2007 .

"Ga'at." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 26 Sep 2007, 17:29 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov 2007.

"Aztec cuisine." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 5 Nov 2007, 05:39 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov 2007 .