Puls, the ancient farro porridge
A thick porridge of farro (crushed spelt) slowly cooked in water, salted and seasoned with a dash of garum, sometimes enriched with cheese. Comforting, savory, deeply umami: the foundational daily fare of the Romans.
A thick porridge of farro (crushed spelt) slowly cooked in water, salted and seasoned with a dash of garum, sometimes enriched with cheese. Comforting, savory, deeply umami: the foundational daily fare of the Romans.
You think feasts are made of peacocks and dormice? In the time when I traced my first furrow around Rome, people fed on this humble farro porridge. Let the grain swell in water, stir it long over the fire, salt it and season it with a dash of that fish sauce you call garum. It is the dish of the beginning, that of the ancestors: do not despise it, for every great people is born from a simple pot.
- •Farro (crushed spelt) — one measure (base)
- •Water — three measures (cooking)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- •Garum (fish sauce) — a dash (umami)
- •Fresh cheese — a little (enrichment (optional))
Puls, the ancient farro porridge
A thick porridge of farro (crushed spelt) slowly cooked in water, salted and seasoned with a dash of garum, sometimes enriched with cheese. Comforting, savory, deeply umami: the foundational daily fare of the Romans.
Why this dish? Before bread, Rome was a people of porridge-eaters (pultiphagi). Puls made from farro is the dish of origins, from the archaic age when Janus was already venerated at the dawn of the city. Eating puls is tasting the very beginning of Rome.
You think feasts are made of peacocks and dormice? In the time when I traced my first furrow around Rome, people fed on this humble farro porridge. Let the grain swell in water, stir it long over the fire, salt it and season it with a dash of that fish sauce you call garum. It is the dish of the beginning, that of the ancestors: do not despise it, for every great people is born from a simple pot.
Ingredients (period version)
- Farro (crushed spelt) — one measure (base)
- Water — three measures (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Garum (fish sauce) — a dash (umami)
- Fresh cheese — a little (enrichment (optional))
Ingredients
- Crushed spelt (or spelt semolina) — 150 g (base)
- Water or vegetable broth — 60 cl (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Fish sauce (nuoc-mam, garum substitute) — 1 tsp (umami)
- Pecorino or ricotta — 40 g (enrichment)
- Olive oil — 1 drizzle (binder)
Method
- Pour the spelt into salted cold water and bring gently to a boil.
- Cook over low heat for 30-40 min, stirring often, until thick and creamy.
- Off the heat, add the dash of fish sauce and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with grated or crumbled cheese.
How it was made : Puls — farro porridge cooked in water — was the staple food of archaic and Republican Rome, so much so that Greeks called Romans 'porridge-eaters'. It was seasoned with salt, garum, cheese, or herbs depending on means.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a deep bowl with a soft-boiled egg on top and a twist of pepper: a comforting 'morning puls' brunch version.
Sources : Pliny the Elder, Natural History, book XVIII (farro and puls) · Cato the Elder, De Agri Cultura
Janus · Charactorium