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Skābputra
Soured barley porridge drink
Latvian soured barley porridge drink for Jāņi
Skābputra, 'sour porridge', is one of the oldest Latvian foods, and at Jāņi, Midsummer on 23–24 June, it is served cold alongside caraway cheese, pīrāgi and wreaths of flowers. Pearl barley is cooked soft, then soured with buttermilk or kefir for a day or two until it is tangy and fresh-tasting, and it is thinned with milk into a thick, cooling drink sipped or eaten with a spoon on hot summer days. This home version uses bought live buttermilk to start the souring safely. Chef's tip: use clean jars and utensils, and taste it each day; once it is pleasantly sour, chill it so it stops souring.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 7 oz pearl barleyrinsed
- 4 ¼ cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups cultured buttermilk or kefir
- 2 cups cold milk
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Simmer the 7 oz pearl barley in the 4 ¼ cups water with the ½ tsp salt, half covered, for 40–45 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft and creamy and most of the water is absorbed.
40 minStep 2: Cool it completely to room temperature, then stir in the 2 cups cultured buttermilk or kefir. Pour into a large clean jar, filling it no more than three quarters.
60 minStep 3: Cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave at cool room temperature (18–72°F) for 24–36 hours, stirring once with a clean spoon, until it smells pleasantly sour, like yoghurt. A common mistake is leaving it somewhere warm for days: it should never smell yeasty, cheesy or off, and any pink, fuzzy or furry mould means it must be thrown away.
1440 minStep 4: Stir well and thin it with the cold 2 cups cold milk to a thick, pourable drink. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve very cold in glasses or bowls. Keep it in the fridge and drink it within 3 days.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does skābputra take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cold milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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