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Last December, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) decided to add cooking and eating Mulgi porridge (mulgipuder) to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The list was created in 2008 to better protect traditions, including cuisines, and to raise awareness of them.
Mulgi porridge is a traditional dish from south Estonia consisting of mashed potatoes and barley, often topped with fried pork and sautéed onions. While a simple dish, it’s universally appreciated by the four chefs interviewed. Some of them have even put it on the menu from time to time.
A hearty combination of mashed potatoes and barley topped with fried pork and onions, it emerged from the people of Mulgimaa, known for their agricultural prosperity. What began as sustenance for farmers working long days in the fields gradually became a symbol of Estonian resilience and culinary heritage, cherished across the country for its comforting simplicity. Try it yourself!
Ingredients:
- 1 kg peeled potatoes
- 2 dl pearl barley
- 1.5 l water
- salt
- 2 onions
- 200 g pork knuckle
Instructions:
Place sliced potatoes in a pot and pour pre-soaked barley on top. After adding a bit of salt, boil or stew the ingredients until soft. Mix them, avoiding mashing the potatoes. Serve with salted pan-fried pork knuckle and chopped onion.
Chef perspectives
“We did it with high-quality ingredients from our kitchen,” says Michael Holman, the head chef at SUMI. “Salted pork, barley, potatoes? It’s peasant food but it’s good. It’s a very savoury thing.”
Rado Mitro, head chef at Rado and Morel, agrees. “It’s a workman’s meal and I like it,” he says. “I think it’s very tasty and simple. I enjoy simple food,” he adds. In addition to mulgi porridge, Rado also likes to tuck into ühepajatoit, a vegetable and meat stew, and orders pork chops and potatoes when he eats out.
For 180 Degrees’ Matthias Diether as well as SOO’s Karoliina Jaakkola, mulgi porridge tastes a little like home. “I love it,” says Matthias. “For Germans, anything with potatoes and some pork is just lovely,” he says. “I’ve had this dish before,” adds Karoliina. “It was great, creamy and fatty, and I’m in general a big fan of potatoes and barley,” she says. “It was a lovely experience.”
