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Močnic from former Yugoslavia

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Feather View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 October 2012 at 10:57
Močnic in my family is pronounced MOOOOCH-NICK. (mooooo as in the sound a cow makes and nick as in the nick you just put in your beautiful oak table)  For the longest time, years, I've not even, until lately, been able to find out more about Močnic, or how it was to be spelled.

Močnic is a porridge according to family stories, made of flour and water and salt, sometimes made with milk. When people were very poor, it was a meal for them.

On my mother's side, grandma Molly was from the former Yukoslavia now known as Slovenia, from the city of Ljubljana, and she came to the prairie central area of Canada, Saskatchewan. She married my grandfather who had come from Germany. They lived on a farm in the early years and then into a home in town later.  My mother describes močnic as a porridge made with cream and fruit was added, as a dessert or breakfast.

On my father's side, grandma Molly (yes both grandmothers were named Molly--or Amalia), and grandpa, both came from the city of Ljubljana, of the former Yukoslavia, now known as Slovenia. They moved to Minnesota USA and later to Wisconsin in the Milwaukee area. Močnic on my father's side was described as a porridge that was served with salty items, like bacon, not as a dessert.

I always wonder if these two families were neighbors in Yukoslavia in that city. Or, relatives?? Let's not worry about it.LOL
One side likes it sweet, one side likes it savory.

Since I've never eaten močnic, I can't say much about it. If as a small child I have eaten it, I'm certain to have blocked it out. Ouch I have more questions than answers about the region, about the dish, the types of flour used or a method to make it. Grandmother Molly on my father's side lived through the depression and described many dishes she made from the few basics they had, eggs, milk, flour and salt. This is apparently the type of food that would cause a depression Cry.

When I researched močnic, I found that some sites on the internet said that it was a porridge and others said it was type of boiled pellet or noodle. Many types of flour were used and I would think this would be better (if it could get any better Wink) with a course grind of flour to give it some texture. The description of boiled pellets or noodles, reminds me of spatzle. Our family on either side did not describe it as a boiled pellet or noodle, but as a porridge.

I welcome anyone with first hand experience to share, as well as those of you so good at historical research, since I am history challenged. And if you took time to read my long post, thank you too! ~Feather
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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 October 2012 at 11:14
Hi, Feather -
 
This sounds interesting, and I find myself wondering if there is any relation to this and the older versions of polenta (Italian) or mamaliga (Romanian), both of which are made from corn meal now, but would have been made with wheat or other, more ancient grains, many years ago.
 
Reading your description, I was also reminded of the "Malt-o-meal" and "Cream of Wheat" that I often enjoyed as a child and still make occasionally:
 
 
I've never had actual porridge, which appears to be thicker, but your descriptions sounds similar to them.
 
I'll see if I can find any more information using a few of the sources available to me.
 
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Feather Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 October 2012 at 12:01
Tas--we did eat cream of wheat often as children. Could it be that cream of wheat or malt-o-meal was actually močnik hiding in American clothes? Repackaged, remarketed as a new invention for Americans?

I remember eating it, with some milk poured onto the top, then sprinkled with a little sugar.  It was not mixed. I savored the cold milk, the hot porridge and the crystals of sugar for texture in each bite.
I think we may have been poor. LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Souvlaki Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 November 2012 at 05:32
Hi Feather, 

The name of the dish is Mocnik ...and yes it is Slovenian. I am only familiar with its salty version, I am sorry but I can not help you with the sweet one. 

ingredients: 

3 tablespoons all purpose flour, or corn flour
salt and pepper to taste 
1 litre of vegetable stock or water
1 whole egg, beaten

Put the flour in a bowl, add the salt and the egg. Use a fork to mix it, then use your hands to make small crumbles. Bring the water or the stock to a boil and add the crumbles inside (as you do with gnocchi)  and boil for 10 minutes. 

Serve with cheese or creme fraiche. 


I quess you replace the salt with sugar for the sweet version? and add fruits or marmelade when serving. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Feather Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 08:33
Originally posted by Souvlaki Souvlaki wrote:

Hi Feather, 

The name of the dish is Mocnik ...and yes it is Slovenian. I am only familiar with its salty version, I am sorry but I can not help you with the sweet one. 

ingredients: 

3 tablespoons all purpose flour, or corn flour
salt and pepper to taste 
1 litre of vegetable stock or water
1 whole egg, beaten

Put the flour in a bowl, add the salt and the egg. Use a fork to mix it, then use your hands to make small crumbles. Bring the water or the stock to a boil and add the crumbles inside (as you do with gnocchi)  and boil for 10 minutes. 

Serve with cheese or creme fraiche. 


I quess you replace the salt with sugar for the sweet version? and add fruits or marmelade when serving. 



I don't really know much about it, just family stories. Thank you for your recipe and directions for making the salty version. I might just have to make your recipe. ~Feather
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 12:33
I've never had actual porridge.....
 
What about oatmeal, Ron? That's essentially what a porridge is like.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Melissa Mead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 12:47
Thanks for getting me curious about savory oatmeal, but made with steel-cut oats and with cheese in it, it isn't bad.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 12:57
good point, brook - that, along with the "malt-o-meal" i've had would probably fit the bill.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rod Franklin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 17:47
Corn gruel is found in Mexico too and is known as Pinole.

Maybe all this next part doesn't belong in this thread, so excuse me if I offend.

Pinole is normally made with what is known as nixtamalized corn. This process makes Niacin (B3), calcium and some amino acids within the corn more available. Nixtamalized corn is dried corn kernels that have been boiled in a highly alkaline liquid till it swells and the skins of the kernels come loose. The skins are flushed away along with the alkaline being neutralized. This is what some know as hominy.

To be pinole, the nixtamalized corn is then dried again and then toasted, which makes it even more nutritious than the above process already did. It is then ground and mixed with raw sugar and salt and cinnamon and orange zest and chia or hemp seeds. Then mixed into boiling water to make a thin gruel which can be drunk on the trail or in the fields.

Modern corn meal and such have vitamin B3 added. This addition isn't really necessary any more but continues to this day anyway. This was begun long ago after hundreds of thousands of people needlessly died in this country at the turn of the last century. They died because they were poor. Poor and their diets consisted mainly of plain dried corn, potatoes, pork fat and precious little of anything else. Pellagra is the name of the disease they died from. A horrible thing too. So many needless deaths because many in power believed the symptoms were created by a contagion instead of a nutritional disorder even though there was sound scientific evidence available indicating they were wrong. 

Well enough of all of that. Carry on.Smile
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