The history of Christmas porridge and the porridge brunch in Cafe Qwensel’s carriage shed
Christmas porridge is such an essential part of a Finnish Christmas that it is hard to imagine the season without it. Yet rice porridge has not always been the porridge of Christmas, and hiding an almond in the bowl is not a Finnish invention. Here is a look at the history of Christmas porridge, and how the tradition lives on in the Cafe Qwensel courtyard this year too.
Christmas porridge used to be barley porridge
Before rice porridge, the Christmas table featured barley porridge. According to Johanna Mäkelä, professor of food culture at the University of Helsinki, rice porridge appeared on Finnish Christmas tables in the late 1800s, around the same time as the first Christmas gnomes. Alexandra Grigorieva, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, adds that in the Nordic countries porridge replaced Christmas pastries, and barley gave way to more expensive imported rice in the mid-1800s.
Rice was an imported good, so rice porridge was still a festive porridge in the 1800s. If Christmas were celebrated in a strictly Finnish-national way, the porridge would be made from oats or barley. Barley porridge is now being rediscovered and is partly returning to Finnish Christmas tables.
An almond hidden in the porridge
The custom of hiding an almond in the porridge is old and European. According to Grigorieva, its roots lie in the wider tradition of eating lucky foods at Christmas, which reaches all the way back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia. The earliest known Christmas lucky foods date from the Middle Ages: in England and France, a bean was hidden in a cake, and the person who found it became king for a day. Finns adopted the almond custom from Sweden around the same time as rice replaced barley.
Why an almond is not known for certain. Grigorieva names possible reasons: in the mid-1800s the almond, like rice, was a luxury, and a white almond is easier to hide in white porridge than a metal coin. According to folk belief, whoever finds the almond will be the next to marry. In Swedish folklore, that happens within a year. According to author Liisa Väisänen, the almond shape is an ancient symbol in which the gods meet humans.
Christmas porridge in Qwensel’s carriage house
Qwensel’s porridge brunch has become a tradition. This year it is served in the atmospheric carriage shed in the courtyard, which the Qwensel team has decorated beautifully for Christmas. The Christmas porridge is served with lingonberries, date crunch and browned butter. This Christmas brunch also includes, among other things, "archipelago rye bread", Christmas tarts and warming mulled wine. The brunch is available until 23 December, and the price is 19.50 euros per person.
A vegan and a gluten-free version of the brunch are also available when you mention it in your reservation. The brunch also suits, for example, a workplace Christmas breakfast. In the atmospheric old shed, the everyday rush can be forgotten for a while.
Good to know before booking
The porridge brunch is booked in advance here. Weekends are already getting quite full, so we recommend booking a weekday time. The old carriage shed is also fairly cool, so it is a good idea to dress warmly. Welcome to enjoy Christmas porridge in the heart of Turku!
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