Class-dessert ID-46 Sub- Culture-Swedish Servings-8.00 as part of an ordinary meal
2 cups rice
2 cups water
2 Tbs butter
2 qts milk
2 tsps salt
2 Tbs sugar
3 inch cinnamon bark
1 almond, blanched, whole
Rinse rice in hot water. Bring water to a boil. Pour in rice and let it cook until the water is absorbed. In a large kettle, melt the butter. Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching. Add salt, sugar, and cinnamon bark. When bubbling briskly add the softened rice and cook until rice is tender. (The old cookbooks suggest that the porridge cook 2-3 hours, but we believe the rice is tender enough after 1 hour.) If the rice absorbs too much milk, add a little more.
Pour the porridge into a large bowl. Bury the lone almond in its depth. Sprinkle top generously with sugar and ground cinnamon. Place a small dab (1 tsp.) of butter in the center. Bring the bowl to the table and serve the porridge in cereal bowls or soup plates with cold milk. Whoever gets the almond will marry during the ensuing year. As a relic from ancient times and their pagan rituals, it is the custom for each person to compose a rhyme before touching this cherished dish.
Comments: From "The Smorgasbord Cookbook", by Anna Olson Coombs, p. 148, Paperback Library, New York, 1958
This dish is as much a part of Christmas celebration in Sweden as the Christmas tree or Santa Claus (Jultomten) himself. In fairy stories we hear of steaming bowlls of this porridge being placed in special corners for the gnomes that visit homes at Christmas. And the Swedish Christmas cards usually carry an abundance of pictured porridge far and wide over the world. There is very little variation in recipes for this beloved dish, so fragrant and festive and satisfying. Love is the main ingredient. ===============================================================================