This Soviet version of Cream of Wheat has fallen out of favor among young Russians, but the older generation remains loyal to this breakfast of their childhood.
This week’s breakfast meal is mannaya kasha or semolina porridge, affectionately known as manka. This is the breakfast that Soviet people really had every day, unlike the one described in the Book.
These days, however, I would never serve it for breakfast if I wanted people to speak to me again. Not that everyone hates it, but your chances of at least half the people in the room having a reaction of: “anything but this, I can’t believe this is happening to me” when served this meal are very high.
The reason for such a reason is that manka has always been considered the best breakfast meal for kids, and it is served everywhere – at home, in preschool, at school, at the office cafeteria… It’s a milky gooey mass on a plate that, if not quite cooked right, or not very hot, turns quickly into…a milky gooey mass that is slightly less edible. It is a living nightmare for many.
In a famous short story “All Secrets Become Known,” a boy has to eat his manka or he won’t be allowed to go to the Kremlin. He hates the stuff and pours it out the window and straight on to someone’s hat. I still remember the drawing in the book with the porridge coming off a tall skinny man’s hat, nose and coat. I know many people who would say that’s exactly where it belongs.
3/4 cup milk
3 teaspoons semolina
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon butter
Add 1/4 cup water to the milk and bring to a boil. When the liquid is boiling, slowly add the semolina, stirring constantly.
Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and cook on low heat 10-15 minutes. Put the butter on top of the porridge before serving.