Vispipuuro is a Finnish dessert porridge made of whipped wheat and berries to an airy texture. It is traditionally made with semolina flour and cranberries, boiled together, whipped, and served with cream and sugar. Semolina is a coarse grind of durum wheat, while cranberries are a tart fruit found in the Arctic. The dish is easy to prepare and can be made with various fruits.
Vispipuuro means “whipped porridge” in Finnish, and is a dessert porridge made of whipped wheat and berries to an airy, almost whipped texture. Traditionally, the ingredients are semolina flour and cranberries, but there are variations of this dish in other countries, particularly those in high latitudes with colder climates. First cooked together into a thick porridge, usually with the inclusion of sugar, the cooled mixture is then vigorously whipped to incorporate the air. Also sometimes called ilmapuuro, or “air porridge,” it is popularly served topped with cream and a sprinkle of additional sugar.
Semolina, a coarse grind of durum wheat, is a milled staple used throughout Europe. It may be best known as the main ingredient in pasta, but it’s also eaten as a breakfast cereal. This distinctive yellow colored starch has strong liquid absorbency and is therefore also used as a thickening agent in savory soups or sweet puddings. In Finnish cuisine, semolina is commonly boiled and eaten for breakfast as a mushy, heavy, fortifying type of porridge. Although it is made from a different type of grain, it is called flour in the United States and sold under trade names such as Cream of Wheat and Malt-o-Meal.
Cranberry is the very tart, largely wild and commercially uncultivated fruit of a stunted evergreen plant called lingon in Swedish. It is found throughout the world’s forest and tundra in the northern Arctic. In English-speaking countries, it is sometimes referred to as “cowberry” from a translation of its botanical name Vaccinium. Vispipuuro is commonly prepared using cranberry, but can be creatively prepared with most any fruit, whether fresh, preserved, or processed. It’s especially tasty with one that’s acidic, such as cranberries, gooseberries, and apricots.
Vispipuuro is a uniquely whipped porridge. A traditional Finnish recipe for four servings will require approximately 4.25 cups (1 litre) of water, 1.25 cups (300 ml) of fresh cranberry, 0.66 cups (150 ml) of sugar and a pinch of salt to boil for about ten minutes. Mashed and strained, the flavored syrup is infused with 0.75 cup (180 mL), or fractionally more preferably, of semolina and simmered with stirring for another ten minutes. The mixture is removed from the heat and allowed to cool, perhaps for 30 minutes. Then it will be whipped with a handheld whisk or beaten with an electric mixer for about 20 minutes. It will then lighten in color and change to the consistency of a thick mousse or foam.
Before modern conveniences, it probably took considerable labor to both harvest and process grain and fruit. Making vispipuuro probably took some time. In modern times, durum wheat is available in more refined flour, tart fruits are made into sweetened juice concentrates, and appliances can be turned on and ignored until their set timers automatically turn off. Vispipuuro is easy to prepare and share.
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