flipOat Porridge with Milk and Honey
Oat Porridge with Milk and Honey
Why this dish? Before climbing to the pastures to draw his bow behind the chamois, the man of Uri fills his stomach with a hot porridge of cereal and milk: filling, cheap, made from only the resources of the alpine farm.
A creamy oat porridge cooked long in milk, sweetened with a spoonful of honey and a little melted butter. The comforting breakfast of the mountaineers before the effort.
Listen well, friend: before the day whitens the peaks, my mother put the oats in milk on the embers and stirred without rest, otherwise it sticks to the cauldron, and beware of slaps. We drowned in it a drop of honey from the hives and a knob of fresh butter — no fine sugar with us, honey suffices for the poor. Swallow a good bowl of it, boy, for he who wants to follow the chamois in the rocks must have a warm belly and a steady arm. I have never climbed on an empty stomach, and my arrow has always remembered it.
- •Oat flakes or groats — two handfuls (cereal base)
- •Whole cow's milk from alpine pasture — one large bowl (cooking liquid)
- •Mountain honey — one spoonful (sweetness)
- •Fresh butter — a knob (richness)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Oat Porridge with Milk and Honey
A creamy oat porridge cooked long in milk, sweetened with a spoonful of honey and a little melted butter. The comforting breakfast of the mountaineers before the effort.
Why this dish? Before climbing to the pastures to draw his bow behind the chamois, the man of Uri fills his stomach with a hot porridge of cereal and milk: filling, cheap, made from only the resources of the alpine farm.
Listen well, friend: before the day whitens the peaks, my mother put the oats in milk on the embers and stirred without rest, otherwise it sticks to the cauldron, and beware of slaps. We drowned in it a drop of honey from the hives and a knob of fresh butter — no fine sugar with us, honey suffices for the poor. Swallow a good bowl of it, boy, for he who wants to follow the chamois in the rocks must have a warm belly and a steady arm. I have never climbed on an empty stomach, and my arrow has always remembered it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Oat flakes or groats — two handfuls (cereal base)
- Whole cow's milk from alpine pasture — one large bowl (cooking liquid)
- Mountain honey — one spoonful (sweetness)
- Fresh butter — a knob (richness)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Oat flakes — 80 g (cereal base)
- Whole milk — 400 ml (cooking liquid)
- Honey — 1 to 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Butter — 15 g (richness)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
Method
- Bring the milk to a simmer with the pinch of salt.
- Sprinkle in the oat flakes and reduce the heat.
- Cook for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- Remove from heat, stir in the butter, then the honey.
- Serve hot in a bowl, with an extra drizzle of honey if desired.
How it was made : In alpine farms, these cereal porridges (oats, barley, sometimes millet) cooked in milk formed the backbone of daily diet. They were prepared in a cauldron over the hearth, and honey replaced sugar, a rare and costly commodity in the Middle Ages.
The contemporary twist : On the warm porridge, a few slices of fresh apple and a drizzle of crystallized honey: a nod to Tell's legendary apple, right from breakfast.
William Tell · Charactorium
