Christmas Porridge (Julgrot)

Christmas rice porridge is a part of the traditional Swedish Christmas Eve supper. According to tradition and practiced in many homes both in Sweden and America each person must compose and recite a rhyme before touching the porridge and the one who gets the almond hidden in the porridge will marry during the coming year.

1 cup rice
2 quarts boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 cups milk
1 blanched whole almond
Cinnamon or grated almonds
Granulated sugar
Cold milk

Add washed and drained rice to boiling water. Again bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, 1 minute. Drain rice thoroughly; add butter. Add rice, salt and sugar to milk in top of double boiler. Cover and cook over gently boiling water until rice is tender and milk is absorbed, about 2 hours.

Pour into serving dish and stir in almond. Sprinkle top generously with cinnamon and sugar or grated almonds and sugar.

Serve with cold milk.

Yield: 8 servings.