Frumenty with Almonds and Honey
Sweet porridge of cracked wheat cooked in almond milk, scented with saffron and honey — the porridge of knights and forest children.
Sweet porridge of cracked wheat cooked in almond milk, scented with saffron and honey — the porridge of knights and forest children.
When I took the nameless child to nurture him in my dwelling, this is the porridge I made for him at dawn. The wheat long swollen, the milk drawn from pounded almonds, a tear of honey and three threads of saffron for the color of the sun. Eat it warm, little one: it clings to the body better than any meat, and it has raised more than one knight you revere today.
- •Cracked wheat — a good bowlful (grain base)
- •Almond milk — enough to cover (cooking liquid (lean day))
- •Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- •Saffron — a few threads (golden color)
- •Salt — a pinch (balance)
Frumenty with Almonds and Honey
Sweet porridge of cracked wheat cooked in almond milk, scented with saffron and honey — the porridge of knights and forest children.
Why this dish? Before being queen of the waters, Viviane is a fairy nurse of the woods: she raises the young Lancelot away from the world. What sweeter and more strengthening food for a child than this wheat porridge with almond milk, the daily comfort of medieval tables from humblest to noblest?
When I took the nameless child to nurture him in my dwelling, this is the porridge I made for him at dawn. The wheat long swollen, the milk drawn from pounded almonds, a tear of honey and three threads of saffron for the color of the sun. Eat it warm, little one: it clings to the body better than any meat, and it has raised more than one knight you revere today.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cracked wheat — a good bowlful (grain base)
- Almond milk — enough to cover (cooking liquid (lean day))
- Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Saffron — a few threads (golden color)
- Salt — a pinch (balance)
Ingredients
- Cracked wheat or whole wheat semolina — 150 g (grain)
- Unsweetened almond milk — 75 cl (cooking liquid)
- Honey — 2 tbsp (sweetener)
- Saffron — 1 pinch (color and fragrance)
- Slivered almonds — a handful (garnish)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
Method
- Infuse the saffron in a little warm almond milk.
- Pour the cracked wheat into the cold almond milk, add salt.
- Cook over low heat, stirring often, 25 to 30 minutes, until creamy (add more almond milk if needed).
- Stir in the saffron milk and honey at the end of cooking.
- Toast the slivered almonds in a dry pan until golden.
- Serve the frumenty warm, topped with almonds and a drizzle of honey.
How it was made : Frumenty (from Latin frumentum, "grain") was one of the most widespread dishes of the Middle Ages, from peasant to king: wheat boiled in milk, sometimes almond milk on lean days, flavored with saffron. It was served plain as an accompaniment to meat, or sweetened with honey for children and convalescents. Cane sugar existed but remained a luxury spice: honey was the everyday sweetener.
The contemporary twist : A "fairy breakfast" version: served warm in a bowl with poached pear and almond slivers, like a golden porridge.
Sources : Le Ménagier de Paris (1393) · Forme of Cury (England, c. 1390)
The Lady of the Lake · Charactorium
