Recipe
Barley porridge with honey and milk
The grain of the poor and of the barley harvest in Ruth.
30 min · 3 serves
The passage behind it
Barley opens the harvest season in Ruth 1:22 and feeds the crowd in John 6:9, where a boy carries five barley loaves. Barley was the ordinary grain of ordinary people. This warm porridge is how such grain was most easily eaten.
Ingredients
- 200 g pearl barley, rinsed
- 700 ml water
- 300 ml milk
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- A handful of raisins or chopped dried figs
- Chopped almonds, to finish
Method
- 1Simmer the barley in salted water for about 25 minutes, until tender.
- 2Pour in the milk and the dried fruit and cook gently for five minutes more, stirring.
- 3Take off the heat and stir in the honey once it has stopped boiling.
- 4Serve warm with almonds on top.
A blessing for the table
Father, the harvest is yours. Thank you for ordinary grain and an ordinary morning.
A suggested prayer, not a Scripture quotation.
Foods in the guide
Related verses
“He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.”
In context: Bread, oil and wine appear as provisions of God's ordinary generosity.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
In context: Jesus teaches his disciples to ask God for ordinary food, one day at a time.
“And also that every man should eat and drink, and that he should enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”
In context: Eating and drinking with enjoyment is framed as a gift, not a guilty pleasure.
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