All right.Welcome to the max effort kitchen podcast.Uh, we got part two of the, uh, porridge segment.This is a, uh, for the love of food episode with lovely Sarah and myself.Um, I don't know if I'm lovely, but you know, okay, cool.
Uh, Sarah, how are you doing today?
I'm doing good.I'm in that cooking mood.I'm so locked in right now.All the wheels are turning.I'm going to be cooking for four or five hours after this.
Nice.Yeah, I did break Sarah away from cooking to get this episode in, but everything is good.You're in a good spot. We will, I think we should just probably jump right into it.
We left off last time talking about a little bit of the history of porridge.So if you haven't listened to that episode, maybe go back and listen to that and then come back here.I did want to make a quick little PSA for everybody.
You know, the, I'm, I'm kind of transitioning a little bit away from the Instagrams and really focusing on posting the shows on YouTube.Uh, Sarah and I made the jump what, three episodes ago to do the live shows on YouTube. Yeah.
So, um, we do live shows.Uh, I still, I'm going to be posting on Instagram, but I'm, I'm kind of, uh, revamping, I guess my algorithm.So, um, it's, that's why I've kind of been quiet a little bit on the Instagram side.
Uh, but I really want to focus on the shows being on YouTube.I think it's a better experience.Um, I think you get to see the people that are talking and I really, uh, I'm, I, well, first of all, the data says that people like to see, see that.
But I also personally, when I'm listening to two people talk about something technical, it's, it's kind of nice to see body movement and, or body language and movements and understand a little bit better the personality.
Get a window into the excitement of it.
Exactly.So, um, so that's that, uh, just wanted to throw that out there for everybody.If you're kind of wondering, like, I haven't been posting on Instagram, which, like I said, I'm just trying to reset the algorithm a little bit.
And it will be coming back though.So without further ado, let's get into porridges.Sarah, we're going to have, let's see, you stopped somewhere close to Scottish porridges.So we're going to jump right back into that.And
talk about that and then transition to some other fun cultures, which I really enjoy.So give us the lowdown on the on the Scottish porridge.You know, you made something and let's talk about that.
So the way Scottish porridge is made is very specific.And I was really intrigued when reading about it.So I decided to test it out in my kitchen and it worked so well.
So how Scottish porridge is made, like when we traditionally like make a lot of oatmeals, I feel like It's just put the oats in, put in the water, liquid, whatever seasonings, put the lid on, stir occasionally, and bam.
But scotch porridge is more of a slow absorption of liquid.So you put in the liquid right away, but then you just stir nonstop.So that way, no lumps form.So that way, it's really creamy.
So that way, the starch releases it more evenly throughout it all. And usually it's made with either water or milk.
I did mine with milk, and I did about a one part oats to one and a half parts milk ratio, a pinch of salt, and I just stood nonstop for like seven, eight minutes.
Finish it off with a pat of butter, which really makes it kind of rich, so it holds up to toppings better than the traditional porridge, because it has a little bit, well not, this is the traditional porridge, but you know,
The method that we use is more moderately often.
And we kind of talked about that method a little bit last time where it was like, you know, the constant stirring and what that does and how it helps the glutens and all the everything break down a little bit better at a slower rate.
And the slower the rate, the more creamy you get, you know, I mean, look at the way, you know, the traditional way of, of risotto, right?It's hot liquid, spoonful, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, spoonful, stir.
Like it's, you're, you're slowly breaking down that starch.So it, it actually transforms into a creamier viscosity rather than clumping together and building these like blocks of starch, right?
Yeah. it like breaks up those blocks as they're forming.So you get a very uniform piercing of the liquid into the starch.
And then the second part of that method that you talked about was the butter at the end.And this is a good move for, I use it a lot on a lot of different applications.I think I learned about it through making a pan sauce.
you know, when you break up the fawn from cooking some meat in there, but you, you know, you throw your chicken stock, you throw your, uh, your herbs, your, any type of like alliums in there.
And then once all that breaks down, you take it off the heat and you do what's called a technique of it's called mounting, which you. you actually cut the butter into cubes or a pad, smaller surface areas.
And then you stir nice and slowly and let that butter melt.And what that does is it emulsifies what was already in the pan with the butter and its fats.And it creates this just really velvety texture.So kind of the same situation with
The porridge on the Scottish side there.They're taking some very or maybe they came up with their tradition I mean, this is some old stuff.We're talking about so that's really cool
just like added this beautiful, like you said, a velvety-ness, and then just like a hint of rich savoriness, like that hit of fat was what it needed.So when I added on my toppings, it just held up really well.
Instead of just being starchy, it was way more than that.Correct.It was so cool.It's my new favorite way to make oats right now, but I got a lot more to try, so stay tuned.
I like it.The list is long, but I shall conquer.
No, that's good.And I, you know, somebody was, I got a, I got a funny little story for you.So I went to the gym this morning and once or twice a month, a friend of mine, Damon, him and I will meet at the it's a really big gym.It's lifetime.
We meet there we do a little workout.It's kind of like us hanging out too.And just you know, whatever.And at the very end, you know, we sit in the sauna.And we're sitting in the sauna.And there's like one other dude in there.
And, you know, Damon's like, uh, you know, so kind of asking about this podcast, like you and our podcast, he's like, so, you know, you know, what kind of foods does she cook?
And I was like, you know, the best way that I really explained it and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that you take a culture and then you just explore their food.Is that, is that a good way to explain it? You're very culture-driven.
And I like that about you because a lot of times it's the reverse effect where somebody will make a dish and they'll be like, Ooh, this is really good.I want to find out the history of it.But
ever since I've ever known you, you know, you've always started with this, this, this, this is the culture.And this is the kind of food that this culture makes.And this is why.So it's a very cool approach.
Um, and actually there was another, the other guy that was in there, I didn't, didn't know complete stranger, but he asked him like, what about the podcast?And, and I'd pulled it and told him everything about it.
And then hopefully we gained a new viewer in the, in the hot sauna following. Yeah, yeah.So anyways, proceed.I thought I would just share that with you.
I appreciate that.That's so awesome.Because yeah, I just I love starting at the roots of the why, if that makes any sense.Because it just all builds and stacks.I love seeing the evolution of human ingenuity.It fascinates me.
And it makes all the experiences I have with food and even with life so much more meaningful.Because I can see these beautiful trends of just how life builds and develops.And I don't know.
Well, it makes sense and it goes against, or it goes towards everything we talk about, which is all about foundation, right?And these types of food wouldn't be here if this culture didn't have a necessity for it.
And so, you know, and I'm going to say, I'm going to pull this number out of my butt, but like 90% of food that we have is built from, was built from necessity.Now maybe it's evolved, And it has a lot of food has evolved.
But if you start breaking it down, which you're doing it from the opposite end, which is starting at the culture and starting at the foundation of it, and then working your way up, which is cool.
But you find out that, you know, food at the end of the day is a necessity.Now, how can we eat it?And how can we make it flavorful?How can we balance it?How can we make it an experience, you know, then you start adding in all those things.
And that's when you start really creating these like culinary-ish experiences.
So back to Scottish cottage.Porridge.Sorry.
You got it. Honestly, my brain's right there.I keep saying to myself, one word at a time.Come on, brain, don't vomit words.
Gotta have that focus.Anyway, porch.So the thing about Scotch porch is it's also deeply rooted in tradition.There's actually a lot of superstitions with it, which I thought was really cool. So the main one was the way you stir your porridge.
It's considered good luck to stir it with your right hand clockwise, but bad luck to stir it with your left hand counterclockwise.
Now, is that a culture thing?
Yeah, it is.It's like a cultural superstition thing.
So I'm kind of in trouble because I'm left-handed.Oopsie.
Well, I that's I mean, maybe you're starting a new trend.Who knows?
Yeah, I gotta use that.Yeah.
Oh, you know that or adapt and learn how to use your right hand, right?Yeah.Let's see how the dish turns out first and then and then go from there.
Sounds like a plan, sounds like a plan.The other thing is they have, because there is considered an art form, they hold the regional porridge, like they hold the World Porridge Championships in Scotland for porridge specifically.
They even have a particular tool they used to stir it called a spurtle.And it's this big like wooden rod that's like completely round and flat.So that way there's nothing for the starch to cling to that you'll use to stir the porridge with.
So I just thought that that was really interesting because it gives you a little bit of a glimpse into the art and the significance of porridge making.
For back at dates.It's just
I like that it has its own tools.That really signifies a unique dish when you have to use specific tools.It also creates challenges.It creates adaptation.
Maybe you don't have that tool and you use something else and you create something completely different, but you're like, wow, this is really good.I like that it has that.That's really neat.
It just shows the significance of the dish if it has its own tool.Porridge has a culture based around it.Porridge is part of culture and it has a culture.So there's that for you.
I like it.You called it a spurtle?S-P-U-R-T-L-E, spurtle.Yeah, I'm looking at it right now and that is... That's an interesting little, uh, that's an interesting object.
Um, I can understand why it's being used, uh, but it's round and that's something that is striking me odd.Right.This is really cool.Okay, cool.Keep, uh, keep going.Let's, let's keep getting through this.It's cause I'm sure there's more to come.
Who's ready for regional porridges in my notebook. My Beautiful Child, I broke it down by ingredient type, main ingredient.The first section I did was corn and maize porridges, which is so interesting.
The first thing that I noticed, the first one that I found was a corn drinking porridge, like how we were talking about last episode, about the rice and cream one that you would drink in the kitchen. This is made with cornmeal.
It's very common in Mexico.Sometimes it's chocolate, sometimes it's like a cinnamon spice, and it's a drinking porridge.There's actually quite a few drinking porridges regionally with different ingredients.
There's a lot of rice ones, a lot of just like wheat ones, there's so many.
So I thought that was the first thing that really wowed me when I was looking into this, even though we've talked about this before, is the different ways you can like, I don't know, it's just a way to interact with porridge I didn't think about.
I had never really considered porridge for drinking before I started all of this crazy research.
Right, right.I mean, you know, like I said this last time, I love the hot drinking porridges like that.It is to me.
That says like dead of winter cold days, maybe under the weather or just trying to warm up after, you know, being out in the snow or something like, you know, it makes sense to me, because it's warm liquid, but it also has some starch and substance in there that's going to, you know, fill your your system and, and really warm you up.
Yeah, it's just like pure comfort.Like when you drink a hot beverage on a cold day, you can just like feel it just warming your core.And that's the way like if the porridge was a bit more solid, you wouldn't like interact with it quite like that.
So, you know, side note, side tangent.
Well, also, you know, the talk about the aspect of like, being able to travel with it, like, so if I got a drinking porridge, I can go on a walk, I can, you know, get in the car and drive around I can do I can move and I'm mobile with it.
But rather than if you have a bowl of it, that makes it a little bit harder, right?Yeah, that's an interesting fact.
Right now there's an oatmeal shake that's getting pretty popular that you like put it in a cup you shake it and you walk out the door.It's like I think there's like cookies and cream.They're all like ice cream flavor.
See, I used to do overnight oats and I would actually add about 25% more liquid than it asked for.And I'd do it in the Mason jar overnight.
I'd take it out in the morning and I would like stir it up and see and get it to the consistency that I would like.And literally on the way to work, just drink it out of the Mason jar.So I, you know, I like that.I like the kind of idea of the shake.
Where, where are you getting those or where do you find those?
I've just been seeing them.They have a giant Instagram campaign and I actually think we might sell them where I want to.
I think that they've like very much pierced like the health community in general because it's such an easy, nutritious thing to do.
Like the whole thing is three, like 30 seconds and you have breakfast versus they'll like have charts like cereal takes this long, breakfast burrito takes this long, drive-thru takes this long, our oats take 30 seconds.
Yeah, I like I like that.I mean, they're playing to the the fast pace of our life these days.And I wonder how they make it to go 30 seconds.I would be very interested to try we I think I think we should try it and talk about it next time.
Yeah, yeah.Maybe I'll come grab some of your work.That would be cool.Let me know if they're there.
Okay, I will.I will look into that.I think that we actually have a macho one.I'll double check a macho and like a Toro TV one.
Oh, sounds great.That's awesome.
Anyway.Um, let's see flipping my notebook here. So another thing I really noticed was polenta-esque varieties that have a lot of different factors, a lot of the time cheese, spices, savory.This one from the Balkans really interested me.
It was a paprika, and, um, feta cheese one.And if you know me, you know, that I am obsessed with feta cheese.I buy bulk feta cheese.My whole family is sick of feta cheese.It is my first love.It is my last love.
Okay.I like that.Um, now, uh, do you, what's your best application?What's your most favorite application with feta cheese?
Noelle, OK, how do you use it most commonly?Let's say that.
Usually I just mix it in with the rice bowls, throw it on top.Because the thing I love about feta cheese is how it's acidic and creamy.There aren't very many cheeses that are acidic to that level.So it adds the perfect zing on top of everything.
But one of my favorite things to do is get a block of feta and brown it.And it gets fried and creamy.
Yeah, and then that's what I was just going to go.I have a fun appetizer I made.Oh, it was probably like three years ago now.
But a little round consuela, olive oil in there, put your block of feta in, throw it into the hottest oven you can possibly get it into, and let it cook.
um until it starts like browning um and then I'll take it out and I'll put some like uh mama lil's peppers on it some cast of the Toronto olives uh maybe um some nice freshly like pressed roasted garlic
and use like a flatbread and treat it like a dip.And it is, it's, it's one of my favorite things and it's so easy to do.
Flavorful.Just like you got all of this layering and just feta cheese.
It's really, it's, it's really cool because it, it will impress people.It will be, people will be like, how, and you know, in the back of my head.I'm like, yeah, it's really easy.I just put it in the oven.
But it's yeah, if you have not baked feta cheese, get out there and try it.Because like she said, it turns into this like creaminess.I don't know if you get this out of it.I get a very like nutty flavor like it almost you get this like boosted
And it's like this little shell that encases the most creamy, just satisfying bite ever.
Yes, exactly.I like it.I'm into it.So okay, I keep interrupting you, but I'm probably gonna keep on doing it because I have thoughts coming to my head about this.
All right, so what's next?
So another thing I thought was really interesting is in parts of the world, they'll ferment the cornmeal for a long time to create like this zing, this cream.A lot of the time it's like a hummus-y consistency, which I thought was really interesting.
Like I believe that one's also popular in the Balkans, and then in Africa, they will ferment cornmeal to create porridge.And a lot of the time, if they don't have time to ferment, they'll sub it out with a lemon juice.
Okay, that makes sense.Did you, by any chance, because this is actually the first time I've ever heard of fermenting it for the porridge.Now, are they fermenting it, the grain, or are they making the porridge and then fermenting it?
That was the thing that was really hard to find out because, you know, as we were talking about last episode, most of these, most of the porridges were just buried under tons of oatmeal content.It was very difficult to see.
And I tried my absolute best to get as much information that I could. you know, seriously, you know, that I knew was valid as possible.Like, I have 10 pages, obviously.
The one thing that they've become apparent is that a lot of the time there is a lot of variations in preparation.So I would say that sometimes they might make the porridge and ferment it, other times it might just be the straight cornmeal.
Because like we said, porridge has such a long history, There has been a lot of segues throughout time.So like, some of this stuff had very limited content on it.And a lot of this stuff was not in English and had no way of translating.
So I just did a very, very specific but quick search on a traditional prepared oats fermented porridge.And what they're saying here is that they actually, let's see, they ferment it in a home for four to five days before cooking it.
So in order to ferment it, you have to probably mix it with something, since it's such a short amount of time.But they don't talk about what it's being mixed with.
I'm probably going to do some more research on this, because I think that I would really enjoy this.Fermented food is just, I love it.I love the science behind it.
freaks me out to all ends because I'm like, we're eating food that's been basically spoiling, but it's creating these beautiful flavors and it's not bad for you.
And that leads to my, one of my biggest things in the kitchen, which is food is not as bad for us as we think it is. It's like the age old thing.
You're going to get like, I don't know if you got this, uh, you know, growing up, but like growing up, I was always told like, don't eat the cookie dough.You're eating raw egg.You're going to get salmonella poisoning.
Well, that's not, that's not true.Um, you go to different countries and I've never experienced it, but I've had multiple friends tell me you go to different countries, they serve you raw chicken and people eat raw chicken.And you know, that,
The explanation I get behind that is the idea that the way we process it in such an industrial way here in the United States, it leads to a lot of bad, dirty things that are happening.But over there, they're not doing it that way.
They're doing a very small batch.Maybe it's just one chicken. you know, and it's fresh and it's being held properly.So, um, I digress, but food is not as bad for us in the raw state as we think it is.
That makes a lot of sense.Cause like, I don't know.First thing you learn in the kitchen is don't do this.And like, it's very much cooked.Chicken has to be cooked up to a certain temperature.
Like the first few times I cooked chicken, I cooked like tiny little chicken legs in the oven at like 425 for like 45 minutes.Cause I was, I don't want anyone going to the hospital.I was a lot more quote risky with my chicken cooking.
Yeah, no, I'm with you on that.And it's, it is, it is very smart to stick to the rules.Like I said, you know, the chicken we're getting here in the United States is different than what we're getting overseas.
And, you know, you do want to stick to those rules.So don't people don't miss, you know, misunderstood me here, because I'm Yeah, I'm not telling you to go out and eat raw chicken, I promise you.
But what I am saying is that when I learned this in school, which was like, taste everything.And we're making an ice cream base.Taste your ice cream base.We're making a dredge for the egg wash.Taste your egg wash.Is it seasoned properly?It's OK.
People eat raw eggs.And what I did find out.
Was the majority of the salmonella breakouts from raw eggs were from eggs not being washed properly on the outside and so what would happen is people would crack them on a on a cornered edge and so cornered edge right here and
got an egg you crack it what it's doing is it's pushing the shell back in right and so this is a little like technique pro tip if you want to call it um whenever you crack your eggs crack it on a flat surface because what it will do is it'll it'll crack the shell instead of pushing it up into the egg
So it's a little bit safer.Um, and so with the shells not being washed, it still had, you know, like the chicken poop on it and it was getting into the egg and that's what was creating the salmonella poisoning.
So, um, obviously that got, you know, the bacteria from that got washed away when you're cooking it properly.But if you ate a raw, it would be bad for you.Um, so pro tip, never use a corner of a, of a table or a corner to crack your egg.
Always crack it on a flat surface. There you go.And I'm spent.Anyways.Okay.Let's move on with some porridge.What else you got?
We let, we ended up at fermented.
And also African porridge.
Yes.I'm so stoked.Okay.So there's the fermented African porridge variety.There is, you know, tons of different regional varieties.They also do a lot of like millet porridges.
There's anyway, but with corn in particular, this absolutely blew me away because the way they use it, they use it in the way that we would use like bread and rice, all based on consistency and application.These are very specific type of corn.
It's a high starch, low sugar, white corn. that they toast in ground.And one of the things that they do with it is they'll create a dough like consistency of a porridge.
And they'll serve this like with everything with like big vegetables and like tons of different side dishes.
And what they'll do is they'll tear off a bit of this dough and make it into a ball and then do a thumb indentation and use it like a spoon to scoop up different ingredients.
Interesting.That's really cool.I so it's almost like you've used masa before, right?
Yeah.So it's like, I'm in my mind, I'm picturing it like that texture, like kind of like break apart, moldable a little bit.And so they basically put their thumb in it and then scoop it up like that.
Yeah, they make those spoons.
And then they eat the whole thing.That's really cool.
That got me so excited.And then they have another porridge.It's very similar, same type of cornmeal.And it's called pop.Pop, yeah.And basically, it has different names attached to it based on consistency.
So they'll make it pretty thin, more, you know, more porridge-esque, and then top it with like a lot of spiced, acidic, and fermented ingredients.Usually when we go, like, we think the porridge route, we think either like super savory,
like a lot of umami, but we think layers of sweet and fresh.But here we have spiced, fermented, tangy, acidic, just things like whole like canvas of flavors, which just like blew me away.
Well, I think I think that's one thing we didn't really touch on very much on the last show about this, which is the idea of a porridge is what it is.
But you want to elevate it and how you how you going to elevate, you know, something that is, you know, grain, milk, and, you know, or water, right?But it's all in the toppings.
I remember the first time I figured out of putting like walnuts or cranberries in my oatmeal, I'm like, whoa, this just made it a new dish.
And so, you know, if you're getting excited or if you're like, hey, I wanna try some porridges, don't forget that layer of balance in flavor or even elevation in flavor.
by picking three things that you know are going to go well together and use them as a topping.And not only is it going to add flavor and balance, but it's going to add some nice texture to it.
It's going to break up any monotony that's going on or any over starchiness that's going on.It's going to add different levels of acidic, sweetness, all kinds of things.And so what I say to that is just experiment.
And because that's, that's how we learn how to, uh, how to really have fun and cook with food is experiment.
Um, don't have the expectation that you're not going to fail because you might, um, you know, I, I, you know, for example, I probably wouldn't put anchovies in a porridge as a topping, but who knows, maybe it would be really good.
You don't know until you try it.
And so get out there and experiment with it because the topping is what's really going to elevate that dish to a place where, you know, you're going to be able to be like, this is, you know, not my recipe, but this is something that I personally do.
And as people that make food, don't we all love to say, this here, here, I did this, I experimented with this and it worked, try it.And then somebody else likes it.
Next thing you know, you have this like trickling effect of like this amazing dish that you made.
Best feeling.I love just like trying something that tastes like nothing I've ever had before.Like that level of excitement is just so piercing.
I'll run and I'll do laps on the house.Like I did it guys.Another one, another one in the book.
another one in the book.Yeah.And, and that's, that's, that's exactly it.It's what it's all about.Um, I made some Maddie and I made brown butter, uh, chocolate chip cookies yesterday.Chocolate chip cookies.I am, um, I am,
a bit of a, oh, I don't know, stickler when it comes to my method of how I cook them and how I make them.And so this was way out of my box for me.And all it was was just changing up the way the butter was incorporated.
But it made so much difference in just texture, the flavor, the way that everything cooked, you know, pulled together.I was, I'm really, really fascinated by it.And I think I might not have a new recipe now, so.
Anyways.I've been wanting to try brown butter chocolate chip patis.I haven't made them, but I've heard they're spectacular.
They really are.They really, really are.And if there's any left at the end of this show, because I only made one batch, I'll bring you some.
Oh, that'd be so awesome.I'll send you some of that cake I'm making, getting fancy with the brown butter.
Cool.Let's, let's, let's plan a trade for tomorrow.How about that?
Hold on one sec.Actually go ahead and talk.I got my son standing right here.
Okay.This is Sarah's show now, so be prepared.
You know, there will be a day that I look at you and say, Hey, this is how you log on.Go ahead and do a show if you like.
I love you serping people.Just gotta, you know, assert my dominance.
There you go.I don't think, I don't think you have a problem being on the show by yourself, but it's much better to do it with two people.
I will say that back and forth.
Yeah.Yeah.I've done a couple of solo shows and boy, um, you go down some real, real rabbit holes and then you come out and you're like, what was I talking about again?You know, you don't have anybody to bring you back.
Oh my God, I feel that.I'll probably get my best friend in the room and I'll just be like, I'm going to talk at you.
Those are some of the best ones, right?Those are good ones.I like that.
So the other thing that they'll do with this pop is they'll thicken, they'll do like a very low water concentration to where it's crumbly.Then they'll crumble it and use it like as a rice base almost.Okay.Really cool.
But also got me thinking like, what is the bounds of porridge texture?Like you can drink it, you can crumble it.Does that count or is there a range?Right.Because like, what would that be otherwise?
Well, that's a good question.
Like I said, there's no porridge definition, like no agreed upon porridge definition.
Maybe it's up to personal opinion.
Oh, I mean, maybe it's up to the culture too.Like, you know, they're, they're gonna, like I was just talking about a minute ago, it's based off of necessity.You're using the ingredients to make a porridge.
But you're actually, the application of eating it is different.So at that point, I think it's up to the culture to say whether it's porridge or not. That's, that's kind of my opinion on that.
Because, you know, a lot of times you see in these big, like, you know, Michelin star restaurants, that one of the things that they're so good at doing, and the reason why these are such experiences is they're able to take a product, let's say something like a turnip, right?
and they can transform it into something that you would never expect a turnip to be, right?So like, and I'm going to be very, very simple about it.
So like taking a turnip and transforming it, making it an ice cream and then making it a topping and then finding a way to make it part of the cone as well.And, and so at that point, is it still a turnip?That's a big debate, right?
Like that's based off of perception.
That's the beautiful thing about food.It's a mystery.It's a gray zone.
It's awesome.Yeah, it really is.Well, and you ask my friends that I talk with daily, You asked them about what I always say, and what it is, is food is subjective.And nobody's right and nobody's wrong.
That's the beautiful thing about food, is it is subjective.Yeah, I've got training.Great.That doesn't make me right, because food is what you want it to be.We were having a debate on the difference between a taco and a burrito, right?
And I got very, very simple on it.And I was like, a burrito is closed on both ends, a taco is not.And then they were like, well, what if you bite into it, then it's not closed.
I'm like, my opinion is when it is put in front of your face, the shape or the dish is what it is then.The second you start eating it, it's food.You know what I mean?I don't know.What's your thought on that?
I would agree with that.I also feel like burrito is definitely like more travel food than a taco, because taco, you know, it can spill out both ends.So a burrito is, I guess, easily travelable, you know, whatever.And taco is more of a sit down food.
I mean, you could eat it on the go.It's just easier with a burrito.
I mean, now you're talking about form and function.And that's the most logical way to think about it.Because a burrito was probably made so they could walk around with it.
Exactly.That's what I'm thinking.Just like we were talking about focaccia.Focaccia was a food made for travel, for sailors.Correct.That was a food for function, a food that would be sustainable on the go.Correct.
You think back to food at that level, it's just very trippy.It is so cool.
It really is.It reminds me of the story of Carbonara.Carbonara was made by miners.
It was, they could put an egg and some cured ham in their pocket with some dried pasta and they could be in the mine and make it and it would be, and that's how it, there was like carbonara, right?
You got, you make your pasta, your egg and your cured meat and you stir it all up.You got a sauce.It's great.And it was, yeah, it's fascinating.
We should read a food law book.That would be so much fun.
Yeah, it would be it would be a very long episode.It would be multiples of episodes Like that I like that Okay, so we are coming to give you we're up to 40 minutes right now.
So What what else in the world of porridge do we need to know about before we wrap it up?
Okay, so we just got through corn porridge.And there's a lot more.So I think what I'm gonna do is speed round it.Just stop some stuff that I thought was cool.See if I can get it in in like three minutes.
Okay, cool.And I won't interrupt.
We just love going down rabbit holes.It's what we do.We gotta make the show fun. OK, so the next porridge type on my list is millet porridge.It's pretty common also in Africa and in a lot of India.
The one that really interests me was a Middle Eastern variation because the mix-ins is honey and cumin.And I never really thought of cumin as a spice that you could use in a sweet variation.So that fascinated me.
Let's see, oh, oh, and then also I want to, this one is a millet porridge eaten as a breakfast food in parts of India.And the reason I wanted to bring it up is because jaggery and cardamom are the main ingredients.
And jaggery is similar to panela, which I talk about a lot, which is an unrefined sugar that tastes like date and brown sugar together.
Yeah, it's really, really good.
Amazing, oh, I'm obsessed.I'm cooking with jaggery, sorry, panela today.
If you want to go buy it in the stores, it looks like, uh, it's like, I've always seen it in cone shape and you just like grade it like discs.Oh, you have.Okay.Okay.Cool.
Awesome.Amazon $5 for a four pack.It's a great deal.
Oh, fantastic.There it is.Amazon plug right there.No, that's fine with me.Uh, Maybe we get some royalties.I don't know.
I like that idea.And sponsor us.We like money.
Yeah, right?All right, what else?
The last one, well, the one that is really important for me to cover, I feel, is rice porridge.Because rice porridge, there's so many rice porridge variations.In a lot of Eastern culture, it's considered
congee is a thickened rice porridge eaten sweet or savory.Most people when they think of congee they think of the Chinese congee variation.
which is usually cooked in chicken stock, simple, you know, it's comfort, simple, comfort food, a lot of time eaten for like an upset stomach, very common.
But I really found the Indian variation also, well, there's multiple Indian variations, obviously, because like, there are so many variations of porridge, like I'll talk about one variation, but just know, there are probably thousands more from that region, thousands.
um that that one they mix in again jaggery and i believe also let's see yep it's oh wait no that was it it was used with date it's made with date tree sugar and garlic
Ah, garam masala in a porridge would be fantastic.
That's what I was thinking.That just blew my mind.
Yeah.Yeah.I think it would be hard to decipher the difference between that.And for some reason, every time I have garam masala, my brain goes to curry.
And so I would be really interested to see what that would be like, what the texture would be like, and how that would taste.
That's what I love about learning about regional cuisines, because it makes you think outside the box with ingredients.Ingredients that you have designated in your brain for a specific application, it'll show you how to break that mind barrier.
And then the possibilities are endless.
The last thing I want to mention for congee is that sometimes they also make it in different regions with rice flour.So it's very smooth, which I thought was really cool.
That's interesting.I, I need to get out and try Kanji because, um, it's been a very long time since I've had it.I'm going to say probably almost 10 years.So, um, I would be, yeah, no, that, that makes sense that you said that.
And, uh, where would we find Kanji if we wanted to go out and try it?Like what, what's a really accessible place.
Honestly, I'm not really sure, because I always just make it myself.
Good move.So look a recipe up, is what she's saying.
Yeah, pretty much.It's really easy.It doesn't take too long, especially the traditional save-free chicken stock Chinese congee.It takes an hour to pop together, minimal ingredients.You can add variations.
I'm going to try a variation with ginger next week, which I'm really excited about.
but yeah like there's a lot of different great recipes to find online it's a great breakfast food lunch dinner it's just like Kanji.Make it.Love it.Open it up.
That's awesome.Well, I think that's a great place to call it.Sarah, excellent work on the research of all this.I hope if you're listening to this, obviously you listened to number one, and this is part two.
This was all about the different types of porridges.You did a great job researching it. I hope it inspired you to cook some of it as well.I hope if you're listening, this inspires you to go out and try it if you haven't.
Porridge is not your typical podcast conversation, but that's what makes it so fascinating.And we talked about why we're doing it in the first episode of it.So get out there, try it.
you know, send us a comment on, on Instagram or, or, or even here on YouTube and let us know what you think.Because chances are, you've all probably had it if you've eaten oatmeal.
But let's get out there and try to make it a little different and elevate it and have fun with it.So. Sarah, thank you very much.You did a great job.I loved it.I learned some things.And it's, it's coming on to the season.So why not?Right?
Why not get out there and try it?We're gonna start getting colder.We're coming into the winter season.
Make porridge, read a book.Hey,
read a book and make porridge all at the same time, even better.Have a nice fire too.Set the stage right there.That's all right, Sarah.Well, I hope you have a great afternoon.Thank you for making time for this.
And yeah, hope everybody has a great, great night.And thanks for listening.
Sign in
