Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Porridge is a very simple dish prepared either by simmering grains or pseudo-grains in liquid or by boiling root vegetables or tubular food crops in water and mashing them. It is probably the easiest and quickest way of making these foods more digestible for humans. It is both scientific (soaking the grains to eliminate phytic acid) and non-scientific (very straightforward to make), culinary (many ways to ‘elevate’ a dish) and non-culinary (the basic formula is simply grains and water). Historically, different regions have relied on different staples, be they grains or vegetables, so different kinds of porridges have been prepared all over the world. I claim that these days, there is a renaissance of porridge, evident in the popularity of porridge on food blogs, social media and restaurant menus. The reasons for it are its universal appeal (all cuisines probably have their take on porridge, so people are familiar with it, but no one can claim authority over it), the broadness of the concept (potential for variation), its healthfulness (corresponds to our current understanding of ‘healthy’) and comforting nature (often eaten in childhood). There are also porridge cafés opening up across the world. Based on my own experience founding a porridge café in my hometown Tartu in Estonia and working there in various roles, I argue that by eating the porridge, customers become part of the ‘community of ingestion’ — a new individualistic community where the focus is not on building relationships with others, but on taking care of yourself.