sultjash

albanian rice pudding with a nicer name

good morning, buongiorno, buenos dias, bonjour, 早上好, mirmengjes, goedemorgen.

i was making sultjash thinking how i could introduce this dish to my 5 people audience, and then i realised that it is nothing more than just rice pudding with a nice albanian name.

so that actually sparked my curiosity and i decided to make some research on rice pudding. rice puddings are found nearly in every area of the world. i’ll share with you a list that i’ve shamelessly stolen from wikipedia:

• west asia/north africa: رز بحليب (lebanon), رز بلبن (rozz bi-laban, egypt), محلبية تونسية (mhalbiya, tunisia), sütlaç (turkey), sholezard (iran), zarda wa haleeb (iraq), Կաթնապուր (gatnabour, armania), südlü aş (azerbaijan)

• central, east and south asia: dudhapak (india), kiribath (sri lanka), ba bao fan (china), tarak-juk (korea), tibuktíbuk (philippines), bubur ketan hitam (indonesia)

• europe: arroz con leche (spain), arriz doce (portugal), risolatte (italy), grjónagrautur (iceland), milchreis (germany), risengrød (denmark), orez cu lapte (romania), riža na mlijeku (croatia), sutlijaš (bosnia), mlečni riž (slovenia)

• latin america: arroz con leche (puerto rico, dominican republicanísimos, mexico, guatemala, colombia, peru, nicaragua, el salvador, argentina, panama, cuba, venezuela, uruguayo, paraguay, chile, bolivianísimos, costa rica), morocho (ecuador), rice pudding (jamaica), arroz de leite (brazil), du riz au lait (haiti).¹

for some it’s a christmas tradition, for others it’s a staple breakfast dish; for some it’s a dessert, for others is a main dish. it can vary depending on preparation methods and the selected ingredients, but the most commonly used ingredients are rice (usually white short grain), milk, spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and others), toppings (nuts), sweeteners or flavourings (sugar, dates, honey, rose water).

ok but where does it come from, i here you saying.

rice pudding can be traced back to ancient times, with mentions in indian texts dating back to 6000 BCE. according to chemist and indian food historian k. t. acharya, kheer or payas (as known in south india), was quite popular and the first mentions of it in indian literature used rice, milk and sugar.²

in the 14th century, a savory version arrived in europe. the first european recipes were savory, often involving rice cooked with broth, milk, and saffron. the introduction of sweet rice pudding in europe occurred in the 15th century, when sweeteners like honey and sugar were added to the dish.³

that said, albanian sultjash is mostly consumed as a dessert, but i love having it for breakfast. it might not different from your arroz con leche or mhalbiya, but i’m gonna share the recipe anyway.

ingredients (5)

(makes 4 portions)

400 gr rice (short-grain)

500 ml milk

1l water

2 tablespoons figs jam/dates paste

(or any sweetener of your choice)

1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch

cinnamon

procedure

1. rinse your rice, then place it in a pan with water and bring it to a boil

2. once cooked, drain the rice and return it to the pan

3. in a separate bowl, dilute the cornstarch in a little water until smooth

4. add the milk to the pan and stir

5. add the sweetener of your choice

6. pour in the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring — stir continuously to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan

7. cook slowly over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly

8. the texture should be creamy, not too thick, as it will continue to set while resting

9. spoon the rice pudding into bowls and let them chill in the fridge for at least two hours, ideally overnight

10. before serving, dust the top with cinnamon.

let me know how rice pudding is called in your country.

ciaoooooo,

arsejda

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_pudding

2. https://gulfnews.com/food/rice-pudding-and-its-8000-year-old-journey-1.1640504530276

3. https://regulaysewijn.com/the-rise-of-rice-pudding-a-history-and-a-14th-century-recipe/#:~:text=Rice%20pudding%20started%20its%20life,dates%20and%20powdered%20coriander%20seeds.