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Mämmi.jpg
A bowl of mämmi
Mämmi (pronounced in IPA) is a Finnish traditional Easter dessert, a malt porridge which is baked in an oven. It is made of water, malt and rye flour and is dark brown in appearance. The Swedish name for it is memma.
Spices such as pomerind, syrup or molasses and orange rind are often added. After the exposure to heat and several days of storage in refrigerator, small quantities of generated alcohol often result within the puddinglike condiment. This is not considered a fault.
Mämmi is consumed cold, either bare or with added sugar and/or milk or cream.
Its precursors can be traced all the way to medieval Germany. But as its use spread with Catholicism to the far northern reaches, the food fell gradually into disuse there, so that it remains as a relic only in Finland.
Mämmi was mentioned the first time during the 17th century, in a dissertation (in Latin). As the result of domestic product development mämmi has graced the Finnish dinner table for at least 300 years. Originally Mämmi was consumed during the whole lent period. Its laxative properties doubtless helped the purging of "poisons". Later it was a convenient food for Good Friday, when firing up the stove was against custom. In modern times it is purely a traditional seasonal delicacy.
Interest in it has risen even in Non-Scandinavian settings, due to Finns' eager attempts to offer the idiosyncratic foodstuff to foreigners. Some have served it as an exotic specialty; others, a joky test (due to its superficially unappetizing appearance). The growing interest in reviving old recipes and the general enthusiasm for past ages may also play a part in this.
It is possible to make mämmi at home provided you find the ingredients.
There is also a New Year dessert in Iran called samanu, which is similar to mämmi.