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What is Gruel?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Gruel is a type of porridge that is made with a higher water-to-grain ratio than other types. The result is a rather soupy end product, though not all people are averse to it. In some cultures, it is considered a treat or delicacy. In Korea, jat-juk is a rice gruel with pine nuts that is actually a high protein treat.

This doesn’t necessarily end the bad reputation of gruel, particularly in Western culture. Though Charles Dickens may have exaggerated, it is true that gruel was often served in orphanages to spread out small amounts of grain to feed large amounts of people. In this sense, it was not particularly nutritious, and Dickens does not exaggerate the hunger of children who mainly lived on such diets. The miserly Scrooge also takes gruel as an evening meal, implying he ate it to save money.

Gruel made from potatoes is common in some parts of the US.
Gruel made from potatoes is common in some parts of the US.

Medieval recipes for gruel, often called gruya, don’t deserve a bad rap. Instead of being made of grain and water, gruya or gruyau uses rich almond milk, in a four-to-one ratio with a number of different grains. Oats are popular but some interesting tastes can be developed with rye or millet instead. This is a fairly high protein dish because of the almond milk. Dairy or soy milk can also be substituted in this recipe to produce a delicious thin soup or gruel.

Oats are a type of cereal grass.
Oats are a type of cereal grass.

Gruel was used frequently to feed people with ailments in previous centuries. Thin grain-based soups were considered fairly digestible and better for the stomachs of recovering invalids. Hippocrates made gruel a mainstay part of diets for people with gouty conditions, and some healthcare experts still recommend thin, low fat soups or grains to those with gout.

Scrooge said he saved money by eating gruel in "A Christmas Carol".
Scrooge said he saved money by eating gruel in "A Christmas Carol".

Modern gruel is more likely to be called soup, and a number of recipes really spice up it up. The Mayans made a porridge with chilies or chili powder, which added extra spice to what would otherwise have been considered a plain dish. Potato gruel is common in the southern US and may have additions of sausage, ham or bacon.

A nice hot gruel with additions of vegetables or meat shouldn’t be overlooked, and may make for a great comfort food. It’s quite common to see soups that adopt this premise. Beef and barley soup, for example, is a take on gruel that adds whole barley grains to soup. Soups like corn chowder also bear some similarity to this thinned porridge. Even though gruel may have gotten a bad reputation from writers like Dickens, with the proper additions it can make for delicious and nutritious food.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent DelightedCooking contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

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Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent DelightedCooking contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon971930

Gruel is my comfort food. Sometimes I boil it to where it is really clumpy, but it's soft and warm. I add some sugar or fruit to it, and it beats all other cereals. It's too bad no one commercializes gruel. Realism is a powerful theme this decade. Notions like Survivalism and Minimalism are quite popular, not just practical.

Technically "Cream of Wheat" is gruel if you make it that way. I just wish they had added vitamins and minerals to it so I could eat it more often and not worry about adding that it to my personal mixes.

anon193298

thank you anon24502.

anon24502

Regarding Scrooge eating gruel, the story says he had his dinner at his "usual melancholy tavern", but he had gruel because had had a "cold in his head", indicating that it was used as a remedy not to save money.

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    • Gruel made from potatoes is common in some parts of the US.
      By: mbongo
      Gruel made from potatoes is common in some parts of the US.
    • Oats are a type of cereal grass.
      By: Liaurinko
      Oats are a type of cereal grass.
    • Scrooge said he saved money by eating gruel in "A Christmas Carol".
      By: Brendan C
      Scrooge said he saved money by eating gruel in "A Christmas Carol".
    • Gruel earned a negative reputation because of how it was portrayed by author Charles Dickens.
      By: nickolae
      Gruel earned a negative reputation because of how it was portrayed by author Charles Dickens.