What does phraseologism “birch porridge” mean?

Birch porridge ... The meaning of this winged expression causes a slight smile, because nowadays it is hopelessly outdated. But in the old days, the promise of the parent to feed his child with this "dish" delivered to the naughty man many unpleasant minutes. The phrase “give birch porridge” meant a kind of corporal punishment, that is, ordinary flogging with a bunch of twigs cut from a white-trunked tree. With the adjective, “birch” is more or less clear, but where did the “porridge” come from in the phrase? There are several interesting versions on this subject.

"Special Cooking" rods

Phraseologism "birch porridge" arose among seminarians who studied in theological schools - bursa. In the dictionaries of Dahl, Ushakov and other connoisseurs of Russian speech, this expression is synonymous with the word "rods." Teachers punished negligent students for any pranks and misconduct. Could pull the hair, slap the slap in the face, slap on the hands with a ruler. If all these measures did not produce the necessary impact on Bursak, he would be punished with rods. The troublemaker was laid on a wide bench, ordered to expose a soft spot just below the back, which was hit with a birch broom.

porridge from birch bark
The source material for the rods was prepared in advance and put into a closet so that it was always at hand. Presumably, a bunch of dry twigs, from which the leaves were peeled in advance, smacking the penalty box was somewhat uncomfortable. To beat weakly - there is no effect, but you will hit harder, only you can strip the skin to the blood. In order for the unfortunate child to fully experience the inevitability and “charm” of cruel punishment, the rods must be soft and elastic. To do this, they were steamed in a tub of hot water shortly before execution. This is where the phrase “birch porridge” came from - by analogy with a cooked cereal dish.

Hazelnuts from damp bark and fallen leaves

The path to knowledge for a medieval schoolboy was not easy. A rare lucky man managed to evade an individual or universal flogging. The latter was carried out for all students without exception a couple of times a month for educational and preventive purposes. Since ancient times, corporal punishment with rods was used in most European countries for adults as a disciplinary sanction for petty offenses. In Russia, a similar method was canceled a little more than a hundred years ago - in 1903.

what is the meaning of phraseology birch porridge
It is easy to imagine that after flogging with water-steamed rods in a soft spot of a fined person, there were scraps of bark, soaked knots, and remains of leaves. Why not birch porridge? Surely, this resemblance was noticed by one of the executors of the execution or the onlookers watching the scene. The phrase acquired an ironic connotation and went out to the people.

Treats for the Chosen

Another version of the occurrence of verbal circulation is the modern linguist Olga Aleksandrovna Anishchenko. In the study, “Types of Punishments and Their Names in the Theological School of the 19th Century,” the candidate of philological sciences explains in detail the meaning of the phraseology “birch porridge”. In the educational institutions of that time, there was a custom in honor of moving to the next educational level to arrange for seminarians a large festive dinner, where the main course was some kind of porridge. Those students who were not particularly successful in their studies were not invited to the holiday. Teachers gloated, turning to the guilty: "And you will find a special porridge, birch." It was a direct allusion to the traditional flogging in such cases.

The punishment is harsh, senseless and cruel.

Execution with the help of rods was also called birch tea, birch bath, seminar porridge. According to people attending courses in theological academies, students were flogged mercilessly not only for negligence, but also for innocent childish pranks, inflicting a hundred or more blows.

birch porridge meaning phraseological units
In some educational institutions, teachers showed indulgence to their wards and stopped flogging in response to their cries and tears. In schools where teachers were not too sentimental, sometimes it happened that during the "educational measure" the boy lost consciousness, and subsequently ended up in a hospital bed, or even went to another world.

Was the punishment effective? Most likely no. Its main goal is to keep students in fear and obedience. It was hardly possible to drive the necessary knowledge into the head of the unfortunate bastard with birch rods, but you could easily leave him crippled for the rest of your days or even take your life.

Hearty, sweet and buttery dish

But let's not talk about sad things. Having finally found out what is the meaning of phraseology “birch porridge”, we turn to the recipes of modern Russian cuisine. Apparently, some chefs liked the sonorous phrase so much that they summed up the technology for preparing delicious dishes.

Birch porridge can be cooked from half a glass of rice, taking twice as much liquid, seasoning with a pinch of salt. The finished dish is flavored with dried fruits, sugar, butter. Then give 10 minutes to infuse under the lid, when served on the table, decorated with nuts. Everything is very simple, but the main secret is that instead of water or milk, birch juice is used to make porridge.

Buckwheat in pots for a second

In approximately the same way as rice porridge, a buckwheat dish is cooked. Groats and birch sap should be taken in the same proportions 1: 2. Porridge, placed in a clay portioned pot and slightly salted, simmer until cooked in the oven at 180 degrees. Before serving, a hot dish is mixed with finely chopped pickles, seasoned with onion fried in vegetable fat and a slice of butter. Fast, tasty and original.

oil of birch
You can probably experiment with other cereals. No less delicious will be porridge on birch sap, cooked from semolina, millet, pearl barley or hercules. Fans of culinary fantasies will be able to surprise their guests with gourmet dishes, using fruits, berries, nuts, mushrooms, fresh or pickled vegetables, and hot spices as an addition to cereals.

Porridge made of birch bark

Previous recipes are, of course, good. But true gourmets cannot be surprised by this. They will certainly want to try real birch porridge. It turns out that this also exists, and it is prepared from the bark of a tree. No, we won’t eat. No matter how much you cook it, nothing good will come out anyway. But if this very birch bark is removed, a less dense vascular tissue of brown color, called a bast or phloem, is found under it.

phraseology birch porridge
Tourists who find themselves in extreme situations argue that the phloem can be eaten raw. To do this, very thinly scrape it off the barrel with a knife. This wood layer is also suitable for making porridge. You will have to cook for a long time until the bast turns into a homogeneous semi-liquid mass. It must be assumed that birch porridge, like any other, can not be spoiled with oil. Season the dish with salt and sugar to taste is also not forbidden.

The birch buds scalded with boiling water and young leaves are quite edible. Salads are prepared from them in combination with various garden herbs, added as aromatic seasonings to soups, broths, fried meat.

How to get the main ingredient

We hope that a little more time will pass and the phraseology “birch porridge” will cease to be associated with corporal punishment. And in order to cook a delicious cereal dish, we have to go to the forest for birch sap. Sweet vitamin Nectar should be collected in early spring with the onset of the first thaws, before the kidneys swell.

birch porridge meaning
At this time, the movement of wood juices begins. Choose a middle-aged birch with a bulky trunk. A hole is drilled in a tree with a hand drill or rotor, into which a tin or plastic groove is inserted. An empty container is suspended from below, where birch sap will drain. For a day you can get from 3 to 10 liters. After the collection is completed, the hole in the tree trunk must be covered with clay or wax.


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