Estonian Mashed Potatoes With Barley Mulgi Puder

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Mulgi-Mulgimaa is a district in South-Estonia with its own culture, food and dialect.

My mother is Mulk and so am I. Mulgipuder means Mulgi’s porridge. This dish is very old though. In former times when people had wood burning stoves, the porridge was placed on a stove in the morning where it had time to cook and get simmer and better. People just had more time.

Mulgid (the people who lived in Mulgimaa) were wealthy. But because in early times animals were more important than people, they were usually to ones who got to eat the porridge first. And if there was anything left from the dish it was passed on to the rest of the family. Like my mother used to say – the Mulgi’s porridge was a pig food (Bon appétit! Sorry!)

Despite all, I and Estonians love this dish. It’s very, very nourishing and filling with an option to cook it completely vegan-friendly!

Potato and pearl barley porridge, i.e. potato-barley mash, originates from Southern Estonia. People in Southern Estonia (the Mulgi people) started boiling potatoes and pearl barley together in the second half of the 19th century as the combination was very filling. By the last quarter of the 19th century, this porridge was known all over Estonia. In the second half of the 20th century, this dish reached cafeterias as well and it has by now become a national dish that is served at various official events.

Print Recipe

Estonian Mashed Potatoes With Barley Mulgi puder

Prep Time

15 minute

Cook Time

45 minute

Servings

people

Ingredients

Mashed potatoes with barley:

• 1.5 kg potatoes
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 2 pis onions
• 2 tbls salt
• 2-3 pis bay leaves
• 6.5 cup water

For serving:

• 3 pis onions
• 1 pis eggplant
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• sunflower sour cream if you like

Prep Time 15 minute Cook Time 45 minute Servings people Ingredients Mashed potatoes with barley: 1.5 kg potatoes 1/2 cup pearl barley 2 pis onions 2 tbls salt 2-3 pis bay leaves 6.5 cup water For serving: 3 pis onions 1 pis eggplant Salt and Pepper, to taste sunflower sour cream if you like

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut the bigger ones into half
2. Put them into a thick-bottomed pot along with thoroughly rinsed barley, chopped onions, salt and bay leaves.
3. Cover everything with water and bring to a boil.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and let it boil on medium heat for at least an hour.
5. In the meantime, you can prepare the onions, eggplant and also sunflower sour cream, if you like.
6. Pan-fry the onions in plenty of oil, until really golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Cut the eggplant into small cubes.
8. Heat up a pan, add plenty of oil and half of the eggplant cubes.
9. Sprinkle some salt on them and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they are translucent and golden brown.
10. Put the cubes on a plate covered with a paper towel, so it absorbs the extra oil.
11. Pan-fry the remaining batch of eggplant cubes exactly the same way.

Recipe Notes

• Now check on the potatoes.
• If they still have too much water left (it shouldn't be too soupy), let it boil without a lid on high heat for about 5 minutes
• Now mash everything using an old-school potato masher, definitely not a hand blender.
• Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
• Serve with pan-fried onions, pan-fried eggplant and some sunflower sour cream.