Today we want to make RAW version of traditional tomtegröd – a breakfast food that’s very popular mainly in Sweden, Denmark and across northern Europe.
Porridge itself has existed in Sweden for centuries, the Swedish language has long had words for porridge: grøter in early varieties of Swedish and grautr in Old Norse before that.
Gröt means porridge, a warming food made from oats or rice and water or milk and beloved in Sweden since Viking times.
Tomte means gnome. Tomtegröd is left out for the household gnome.
Jul means christmas in swedish. Julgröt means porridge which is eaten on Christmas.
There are many different kinds of gröt ranging from trollgröt or klappgröt (a lingonberry porridge eaten for dessert and whisked into a liquid) and many others.
Here is our raw food recipe for traditional tomtegröt.
Although rice was a life-saving and beneficial food for humans in the past years, it is difficult to digest today and it is said by many raw food gurus that it contains high levels of starch that it is not suitable for the human body. We used kohlrabi in the place of rice. Other great alternatives can be rutabaga and cauliflower.
Ingredients:
1 small swede( a.k.a rutabaga) OR kohlrabi (135g)
50 g almonds blanced, soaked for 30 minutes or almond butter
80 ml fresh orange juice ( juice of 1 whole orange)
1 tsp coconut oil ( optional, check the step 6)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger or grated fresh ginger
A pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Peel the swede (rutabaga) or kohlrabi and cut it into chunks around 1″ wide.
- Blend the swede or kohlrabi pieces in a food processor until they break down to look rice-like.
- Transfer them to a nut milk bag in a bowl and squeeze out any excess liquid, alternatively you can use vegan milker. Discard the liquid and put the rice in a clean bowl.
- Blend up the almonds, orange juice, maple, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, ginger and a pinch of salt in a high-speed blender until smooth. Add to the swede. Combine well.
- Transfer mixture in a large bowl.
- ( OPTIONAL STEP if you have dehydrator and want to eat it warm : Cover the bowl with a cling film. Dehydrate at 42-46 C in the Excalibur dehydrator for 30-40 minutes or until warm. Pour 1 tsp coconut oil in the middle of the bowl and let it melt for 2-3 minutes.)
- Finely peel the orange, put orange zest on your bowl, along with the raisins. Dust some cinnamon powder if desired. Enjoy.