BrenntarBarbara Ehlert: ''Getreide – die Grundlage unserer Zivilisation.'' I: ''Die Allgäuerin,'' 2010/3, S. 32/33
(PDF) or Habermus or Schwarzer Brei is a

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

stuff, particularly prominent in the

Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...

and in the Allgäu. It is made of roasted

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

, usually

spelt Spelt (''Triticum spelta''), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein and may be considered a health food. Spelt was cultivated from the Neolit ...

flour or oat flour. This kiln-dried flour is called ''Musmehl''. It is usually cooked like a

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

with water and milk. The name ''Brenntar'' means "burned porridge", ''Habermus'' means "oat porridge", and ''Schwarzer Brei'' means "black porridge". If roasted correctly, however, Brenntar is brown, but if roasted for too long in the drying

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

it can turn black.

History

It is written in the ''Schwäbisches Wörterbuch'' that in 1540 the population on the Swabian Jura was saved from starvation by Brenntar and

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen Benedictines, OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictines, Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mysticism, mystic, visiona ...

recommended Habermus for a healthy living. In the last decades, Brenntar had almost fallen into oblivion, but was rediscovered in the trend of conscious nutrition. Nowadays, Brenntar and the Musmehl have been included in the

Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, as "almost forgotten regional-type food" by the ''Slow Food Deutschland'' Organization.

Preparation

As a former

convenience food Convenience food (also called tertiary processed food) is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) for ease of consumption, and is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily portable, have ...

used on a daily basis, Brenntar is quite simple to prepare. Originally the Musmehl was cooked in water only, spiced with salt. Today, there are different recipes for Habermus, for example, mixed with vegetables or sweetened with fruit.

References

External links

* Source: ''Brenntar'' on Alemannic Wikipedia
Petra Schöbel: ''Kochen nach alten Rezepten: Schmeckt wie früher bei der Oma''
(Reutlinger Generalanzeiger)
Monika Löffler: ''Habermus gibt einen starken Fuß – die Geschichte vom Schwarzen Brei
German cuisine Swabian cuisine Staple foods Porridges Cereal dishes

History

Preparation

See also

References

Further reading

External links