Mämmi

Ingredients

Mash

• 400 grye malt flour
• 600 grye flour
• 2.5 litreswater
• 1 tspsalt

Flavour

• 80 gdark treacle or molasses
• grated zest of 1 Seville or bitter orange
• 1 tspsalt

To serve

• cold single cream
• sugar
• vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream

Traditional

• birch bark boxes, or a wide low ovenproof dish

Directions

1. Bring 1 litre of the water to a boil, then let it drop to about 70°C (160°F). Whisk in a third of the rye malt flour and a third of the rye flour to a thick smooth mash.
2. Wrap the pot in towels or set it in a very low oven and keep it around 65 to 70°C (150 to 160°F) for an hour. Above about 75°C (167°F) they are destroyed and the mämmi stays starchy and bland; well below it they work far too slowly.
3. Add another litre of hot water and the next third of both flours, stir well, and hold it again for an hour.
4. Repeat once more with the last of the water and flour, and hold for a final hour or two. Working in three stages is how it has always been done. Stir in the treacle, the bitter orange zest and the salt. Salt in a dessert seems wrong and is essential.
5. Pour the mash into birch bark boxes, or into a wide dish no more than 5 cm deep. Keep it shallow. A deep dish never dries properly and stays wet in the middle.
6. Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 3 hours, uncovered. It is done when the surface has darkened almost to black and formed a dry skin, and the mass has firmed up.
7. Cool it completely, then refrigerate it for at least 3 days before eating. The flavour is harsh and the texture loose straight from the oven, and three or four cold days settle both. Serve cold in a shallow bowl, with cold cream and sugar poured over, or with vanilla sauce.

Technique

• Rye malt flour, mallasjauho, is the one ingredient with no substitute and it is sold in Finnish and Baltic shops.
• It keeps a fortnight in the fridge and freezes well.
• Bitter orange zest is traditional; sweet orange is a modern substitute and noticeably milder.

Substitutions

• Dark molasses in place of treacle.
• Sweet orange zest, using rather more of it.

Variations

• Served with vanilla ice cream, which is the modern habit.
• Made sweeter, with more treacle.
• Eaten with cold milk instead of cream.

History

Rye and malt pudding eaten at Easter, baked in birch bark boxes; it has been recorded in Finland since the sixteenth century.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mämmi?

Mämmi is a dessert from Finland: slow-baked malted rye Easter porridge with cream, sugar. Rye and malt pudding eaten at Easter, baked in birch bark boxes; it has been recorded in Finland since the sixteenth century.

How long does Mämmi take to make?

Mämmi takes 30 min plus 4 hr mashing and 3 days maturing of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Mämmi?

Yes, within limits. Dark molasses in place of treacle. Sweet orange zest, using rather more of it.

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

Pour the mash into birch bark boxes, or into a wide dish no more than 5 cm deep. Keep it shallow. A deep dish never dries properly and stays wet in the middle.