Porridge
PORRIDGE (an altered form of " pottage," Fr. potage, soup, that which is cooked in a pot), a food made by stirring meal, especially oatmeal, in boiling water and cooking it slowly until the whole becomes soft. The dish and its name are particularly identified with Scotland; in Ireland it is commonly known as " stir-about." The former application to a broth made of vegetables or of meat and vegetables thickened with barley or other meal is obsolete, and the earlier " pottage " is the usual word employed. The form " porridge " apparently dates from the 16th century. In " porringer," a porridge-bowl, the n is inserted as in " passenger," " messenger."
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
