Semolina pudding or semolina porridge is a

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

-type

pudding Pudding is a type of food which can either be a dessert served after the main meal or a Savoury (dish), savoury (salty or sweet, and spicy) dish, served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based des ...

made from

semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

, which is cooked with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

, or a mixture of milk and water, or just water. It is often served with

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, cocoa powder,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

, raisins,

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, or

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

. It is similar to grain based halva or halawa. A similar consistency to

rice pudding Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs. Variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly c ...

can also be made by using more semolina and by baking, rather than boiling. Semolina pudding has been eaten in Europe since Roman times. The recipe book of

Apicius ''Apicius'', also known as ''De re culinaria'' or ''De re coquinaria'' (''On the Subject of Cooking''), is a collection of Food and dining in the Roman Empire, Roman cookery recipes, which may have been compiled in the fifth century CE, or ea ...

(roughly dated 4th century AD) describes a semolina porridge made from farina mixed with almonds, raisins and raisin wine. Semolina pudding is also for sale as an instant (powdered) or prepared

convenience food Convenience food (also called tertiary processed food) is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) for ease of consumption, and is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily portable, have ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

spices In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

or artificial flavouring is often added. Some of these products must be prepared with milk or water. If only water is necessary, then powdered milk is often an ingredient of the convenience food.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia

The Czechs call it or , the Slovaks , the Austrians , the Germans ''Grießbrei'', the Slovenians , and the Croatians call it . It is served warm, sprinkled with cocoa and sugar, and doused with melted butter. Sometimes other variations and flavours may be used, such as cinnamon, honey, cherry compote, grated chocolate, tuzemák, etc.

Romania

In Romania it is called . Jam, candied fruit,

and raisins may be added. Once cooked, the preparation is poured into a cake pan. It is served warm or cold. The word ''griș'' may come from German similar to the English grit.

Hungary

Hungarians call this dish or ''tejbedara'', meaning "semolina in milk". Usually cooked with a generous amount of sugar, some butter, and a pinch of salt. It is served warm either plain or sprinkled with cocoa powder, cinnamon sugar, sometimes with fresh or canned fruits, jam, vanilla, choco bits; modern additions include ice cream, whipped cream, brown sugar,

maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...

, candied fruit, granola, pumpkin seeds etc. A similar but much thicker pudding-like product, precooked and packaged as a store-bought convenience food, is marketed under the name ''grízpuding'' (mirror translation for ''semolina pudding'').

Lithuania

In Lithuania, this dish is called . Usually, it is cooked in a mixture of water, milk and sugar, and is always served warm, with a topping of cinnamon and sugar, or sometimes jam.

Syria

This dish is well known in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

(as well as other parts of Syria) as Mamonia. It is prepared by adding butter-toasted semolina into boiling water that is mixed with sugar and sometimes cinnamon pieces. It is then served with a variety of toppings including but not limited to white cheese, cinnamon powder and

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

References