Mulgipuder

Ingredients

Porridge

• 250 gpearl barley, rinsed
• 700 mlwater
• 1 kgfloury potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1½ tsp salt
• 30 gbutter
• 100 mlhot milk, as needed

Kaste

• 200 gsmoked streaky bacon or salt pork, diced
• 2onions, sliced

To serve

• 400 mlcold kefir or sour milk
• lingonberry jam (optional)

Directions

1. Put the barley in a heavy pot with the water and salt, bring to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat 40–45 minutes until the grains are soft and all the water has been absorbed. Do not drain it.
2. Lay the potatoes on top of the barley, add 200 ml more water, cover and cook another 20–25 minutes until a knife slides through them without resistance.
3. Take off the heat and mash everything together in the pot with a wooden masher, working from the bottom up so the barley is broken but still visible.
4. Beat in the butter and just enough hot milk to give a thick mash that holds its shape on a spoon, then season and keep covered over the lowest heat.
5. Fry the bacon in a dry pan over medium heat for 8 minutes until the fat has run and the edges are crisp.
6. Add the onions to the pan and fry a further 8–10 minutes in the rendered fat until deep golden and sweet.
7. Mound the mash in bowls, press a well into the centre of each, and pour in the bacon with all its fat. Serve with cold kefir to drink alongside and lingonberry jam if you like.

Technique

• Mulgipuder comes from Mulgimaa in southern Estonia, where barley was the wealth crop; the traditional ratio is roughly one part barley to two or three parts potato.
• The barley must cook in exactly the water it absorbs rather than being boiled and drained, or the mash tastes washed out and thin.
• Never use a blender or food processor. Barley and potato starch whipped by a blade turn to glue within seconds; a wooden masher is the only correct tool.
• The fat poured into the well is not a garnish, it is the seasoning; there should be enough to pool.

Substitutions

• Pot barley can replace pearl barley but needs an overnight soak and about 20 minutes longer.
• Where smoked pork is unavailable, Estonians also make it with fried salt pork rind or simply with a large knob of butter and fried onion.

Variations

• Mulgikapsad, the other Mulgimaa classic, is the same barley cooked with sauerkraut and pork instead of potato.
• Some families spoon lingonberry jam or serve braised sauerkraut alongside at Christmas.

History

A dish combining mashed potato and barley groats cooked together into one smooth, hearty mixture, traditionally served with fried pork belly or bacon on top, developed specifically in the Mulgimaa region of southern Estonia, from which the dish takes its regional name directly. Its combination of potato, only established as a widespread Estonian staple crop after its introduction from South America in the 1500s and 1600s, together with barley, a much older regional grain, reflects a comparatively recent Estonian regional specialty built by layering that newer crop onto an established older grain tradition. Mulgipuder remains closely tied to Mulgimaa’s specific regional identity within wider Estonian cuisine, considered one of the clearest examples of that region’s particular culinary character.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mulgipuder?

Mulgipuder is a main from Estonia: barley-potato mash with smoked bacon, Mulgimaa pride. A dish combining mashed potato and barley groats cooked together into one smooth, hearty mixture, traditionally served with fried pork belly or bacon on top, developed specifically in the Mulgimaa region of southern Estonia, from which the dish takes its regional name directly. Its combination of potato, only established as a widespread Estonian staple crop after its introduction from South America in the 1500s and 1600s, together with barley, a much older regional grain, reflects a comparatively recent Estonian regional specialty built by layering that newer crop onto an established older grain tradition. Mulgipuder remains closely tied to Mulgimaa’s specific regional identity within wider Estonian cuisine, considered one of the clearest examples of that region’s particular culinary character.

How long does Mulgipuder take to make?

Mulgipuder takes 15 min of preparation and 1 hr 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mulgipuder?

Yes, within limits. Pot barley can replace pearl barley but needs an overnight soak and about 20 minutes longer. Where smoked pork is unavailable, Estonians also make it with fried salt pork rind or simply with a large knob of butter and fried onion.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mulgipuder?

Put the barley in a heavy pot with the water and salt, bring to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat 40–45 minutes until the grains are soft and all the water has been absorbed. Do not drain it.