Mulgipuder — Barley and Potato Porridge
A thick porridge of pearl barley and mashed potatoes, bound and flavored with melted bacon bits and their golden fat. Comforting, no frills, it embodies everyday fare.
A thick porridge of pearl barley and mashed potatoes, bound and flavored with melted bacon bits and their golden fat. Comforting, no frills, it embodies everyday fare.
You see, in our home, superfluous things never had a place, neither in the pot nor elsewhere. We let the barley swell slowly, for a long time, like letting a bell resonate—and we mashed the potatoes into it until everything became one calm substance. A bit of melted lard on top, and that was enough. When you have little, you learn that little, well held, suffices fully.
- •Pearl barley — a good handful per person (staple grain)
- •Potatoes — twice the volume of barley (binding softness)
- •Salt pork — one piece (fat and flavor)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Mulgipuder — Barley and Potato Porridge
A thick porridge of pearl barley and mashed potatoes, bound and flavored with melted bacon bits and their golden fat. Comforting, no frills, it embodies everyday fare.
Why this dish? A peasant dish from southern Estonia, economical and filling, exactly the kind of simple food available in the Soviet Estonia of Pärt's youth, where potatoes and barley were staples when other ingredients were scarce.
You see, in our home, superfluous things never had a place, neither in the pot nor elsewhere. We let the barley swell slowly, for a long time, like letting a bell resonate—and we mashed the potatoes into it until everything became one calm substance. A bit of melted lard on top, and that was enough. When you have little, you learn that little, well held, suffices fully.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pearl barley — a good handful per person (staple grain)
- Potatoes — twice the volume of barley (binding softness)
- Salt pork — one piece (fat and flavor)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Pearl barley — 150 g (staple grain)
- Floury potatoes — 400 g (binding softness)
- Smoked pork belly or bacon — 120 g, diced (fat and flavor)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (aromatic)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Cook the pearl barley in salted simmering water for about 40 minutes, until tender.
- Add the diced potatoes and continue cooking for 20 minutes, until they mash easily.
- Drain (reserving a little cooking water) and roughly mash the barley and potatoes together.
- Fry the bacon dice with the onion until golden and the fat is rendered.
- Stir part of the bacon and its fat into the porridge, loosen with a little cooking water, adjust salt.
- Serve very hot, topped with the remaining golden bacon.
How it was made : Mulgipuder comes from the Mulgimaa region and was cooked in a wood-fired oven or on the stove, simmered long in a single pot. It was a reserve dish: barley storable all winter and potatoes from the cellar. Under the Soviet era, its simplicity made it a reliable meal despite shortages.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of sour cream (hapukoor) and fresh chives on top to brighten the rusticity.
Arvo Pärt · Charactorium