Facts About Semolina pudding
Semolina pudding or semolina porridge is a porridge-type pudding made from semolina, which is cooked with milk, or a mixture of milk and water. It is often served with sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, raisins, fruit, or syrup. A similar consistency to rice pudding can also be made by using more semolina and by baking, rather than boiling.
Semolina pudding has been eaten in Europe since Roman times. The recipe book of Apicius (book roughly dated 4th century AD) describes a semolina porridge made from farina mixed with almonds, raisins and raisin wine.
Semolina pudding is also for sale as an instant (powdered) or finished convenience food. Cream, vanilla, fruit, spices or artificial flavouring is often added. Some of these products must be prepared with milk or water. If only water is necessary, then powdered milk is an ingredient of the convenience food.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
The Czechs call it krupičná kaše or krupicová kaše and the Slovaks krupicová kaša. It is served warm, sprinkled with cocoa and sugar, and doused with melted butter. Sometimes other variations and flavours may be used, such as cinnamon, honey, grated chocolate, tuzemák, etc.
Romania
In Romania it is called griș cu lapte. Jam, candied fruit, cinnamon and raisins may be added. Once cooked, the preparation is poured into a cake pan. It is served warm or cold. The word griș may come from German Grieß similar to the English grit.
Hungary
Hungarians call this dish tejbegríz or tejbedara, meaning "semolina into the milk". Usually cooked with generous amount of sugar, some butter and a pinch of salt, it is served warm either plain or sprinkled with cocoa powder, cinnamon sugar, sometimes with fresh or canned fruits, jam, vanilla, choco bits; modern additions include ice cream, spraycream, brown sugar, maple syrup, candied fruit, granola, pumpkin seeds etc. A similar but much thicker, pudding-like product, precooked and packaged as a store-bought convenience food, is marketed under the name grízpuding (mirror translation for semolina pudding).
Lithuania
In Lithuania, this dish is called manų košė. Usually, it is cooked in a mixture of water, milk and sugar, and is always served warm, with a topping of cinnamon and sugar, or sometimes jam.
Czech Republic