10. Porridges were made with many ingredients other than oats
Besides the aforementioned grains, millet and buckwheat were also known to the medieval cook and often used to make porridges of various thicknesses to make a meal, a part of a meal, a snack, or as a medicine. For the latter purpose they were usually a thin gruel, and often used as the vessel to convey the herbs or other medicines prescribed by a doctor or the applicable folklore turned to for a cure. Porridges (and breads and sauces) could be fortified with finely ground nuts including walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, and even acorns. Thick wheat porridges appeared on finer tables at mealtime as a side dish, cooked using broth from the boiled beef, or sometimes in wine.
Grains boiled in milk, sweetened with honey and thickened, made porridges that had the texture of modern puddings, and were often served for dessert. Almond milk, made by soaking finely chopped almonds in liquid, was also used as the main ingredient. Some were flavored with local fruits, both fresh and dried. Numerous other flavorings were used to flavor porridges including grasses, legumes, other vegetables, and even fish or poultry, depending on the time of day at which it was served and what role it was to play in the overall meal. Dried peas were used so commonly that it led to a famed nursery rhyme which began. “pease porridge hot”.
