Mulgi puder is a traditional potato-groat porridge with pork cracklings, which comes from Mulgimaa in Southern Estonia and is named after the region. By the last quarter of the 19th century, the custom of making Mulgi porridge had spread more widely throughout Estonia. To make porridge based on the original recipe, only domestic raw materials are used.
According to Culture Minister Piret Hartman, the Mulgi community, which has prepared Estonia's application for a long time and thoroughly, must be recognized. "Our cultural heritage is very rich, certainly also due to the fact that local people and regions value and pass on traditions. Mulgi porridge plays a unifying role in Mulgimaa, and the tradition of making and eating it is part of our living tradition. The custom related to porridge is a worthy addition to the UNESCO representative list, which will help this still-viable custom continue," said the minister.
According to Ave Grenberg, head of the Mulgi Culture Institute, the idea to apply for the representative list of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage came in 2021, when the capital of Mulgimaa, Abja-Paluoja, held the title of the Finno-Ugric capital of culture. "Attention to our local culture inspired the community, and together it was proposed that heritage foods unite Mulgi people, and the most famous of them is Mulgi porridge," said Ave Grenberg. "Eating Mulgi porridge is an integral part of the family and community gathering of Mulgi people. Mulgi porridge is also offered in restaurants, schools and kindergartens in Mulgimaa, also at joint village events and folk festivals."
Hundreds of community members and several village associations, schools and NGOs in the region have given their support to submit Mulgi porridge. The Mulgi Cultural Institute in cooperation with the Heimtal branch of the Estonian National Museum in Mulgimaa organized an online collection of Mulgi porridge stories and a questionnaire, the aim of which was to collect people's experiences and family traditions in preparing and eating Mulgi porridge and to get an overview of the spread of the tradition today.
The results of the questions revealed that although this food is most commonly known as Mulgi porridge, it has several names that are used in different regions of Mulgimaa. Depending on the region, it is known as kärutädi porridge, potato and groat porridge, Taivere porridge, mixed porridge, farmer's porridge, semi-wool porridge, Latvian porridge, cartman's porridge, thick porridge, etc. Despite the names, the components for making porridge are the same everywhere.
The tradition of making and eating porridge is passed down mainly from generation to generation through the family, but in addition, the Mulgi porridge workshop is an integral part of Mulgi language teaching in schools and hobby groups, as well as a daily meal in regional institutions and public events.
Mulgimaa is a historic-cultural region in Southern Estonia, which today is divided between two counties (Viljandimaa and Valgamaa) and three municipalities - Tõrva, Viljandi and Mulgi municipalities. Although the boundaries of the municipality are different, the region is bound by a common Mulgi language and cultural heritage.
During the preparation of the application, a short film about making and eating Mulgi porridge was also made. Additional information about Mulgi porridge can be found on the Mulgimaa information portal.
