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British

Frumenty

The oldest of English porridges: whole wheat soaked and simmered until the grains burst, then enriched with milk, saffron and an egg yolk and sweetened with a little sugar. Medieval cooks served it on its own on fasting days, or alongside venison and porpoise at feasts.

BreakfastLunch & dinnerVegetarianUnder 400 kcal
105 min10 prep · 95 cookEasy231 kcalper serving
Frumenty

Method

  1. The night before, put 60 g of whole wheat berries in a bowl, cover generously with cold water and leave to soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours.
  2. Drain the soaked wheat, tip it into a clean tea towel and rub it firmly between your hands for a minute to loosen the bran, as medieval cooks did when they 'frushed' the corn. Rinse in a sieve under cold water and pick out any floating husks.
  3. Put the wheat in a small heavy saucepan with 500 ml of fresh water. Bring to the boil, then lower to the barest simmer, cover, and cook 60 to 75 minutes, stirring now and then and topping up with a splash of hot water if it looks dry. It is ready when the grains have split open, are completely tender and the liquid has gone slippery and starchy. Drain off any water still standing above the grain.

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Per serving

231kcal
11gprotein
24gcarbs
11gfat
1gfibre

Computed from the ingredients against a food database, not estimated. The full nutrient table is in the app.

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