Arròs amb Llet d’Ametlla (Vegan)
A Catalan rice pudding recipe with almond milk, medieval inspired
Yesterday marked the first day of Lent. Although I am not religious, the history of this dish is closely linked to this Christian tradition.
Rice pudding exists in many forms across various cuisines, and arroz con leche is enjoyed throughout Latin America. It was brought there by colonial Spaniards, though it’s not exactly a Spanish dish, at least, not in its origin. Most of its key ingredients are not native to the Iberian Peninsula but were introduced by the Arabs, who traded between East Asia and the Mediterranean. Four out of the five core ingredients in this dish are indeed Asian in origin: rice, sugar, cinnamon and lemon. The fifth ingredient, milk, was not consumed during Lent until 1491, when the ban on animal milk and eggs during this period was lifted.
In the region now known as Catalonia, Muslims groups from North Africa ruled from the 8th century to the 12th century, which meant the area was beaming with new foods that were introduced to the local gastronomy.
Sweet and savory ingredients were mixed creating flavor profiles that may appear odd to our modern taste buds, like this spinach and raisins recipe I shared last month. Almond milk and spices like cinnamon were often added to chicken broths to create a richer, creamier texture. We can find many of these early influences in the first Catalan cookbook, Llibre del Sent Soví (1324), which includes dishes like llimonea (a hen broth with almond milk, ginger, saffron, plenty of white sugar, and lemon juice) and salsa blanca (a sauce made with hen broth, almond milk, chicken, lemon juice, ginger, and cinnamon), both served over roast chicken.
Salsa blanca or menjar blanc became widely popular across Europe. Versions of this dish appear in many medieval cookbooks under names like mangier blanc, MankMang, blancmange, or white dish. Chaucer even praises it in The Canterbury Tales: " For blankmanger, that made he with the beste."
The next Catalan cookbook, Llibre del Coch by Master Robert de Nola (1520), continues this culinary tradition, though with some twists. Menjar blanc is described as a dish that incorporates almonds, flour, sugar and… lobster! A more relatable dish, fara de farina, combines almond milk, rice flour, water, sugar, and cinnamon, which would have been ideal for the meat-free days of Lent, staying true to the older fasting traditions.
Arroz con leche o arròs amb llet, in Catalan, became a popular Lent pudding once the chicken was removed from the recipe. After 1491, when milk and eggs were allowed during Lent, many Spanish and Catalan Cuaresma sweets began to incorporate these ingredients, which were plentiful with the arrival of spring.
I bon profit a tots, havent tingut gana i bona vianda; d’esta la tan ben acertada, com si fóssem en Dijous Llarder o diumenge de Carnestoltes, del dolç i saborós plat de cassola d’arròs ab llet; sent ja Sant Josep lo segon patró de casa Cortada.
My translation (and my highlight):
Enjoy your meal, everyone, having had both hunger and good food; this one so well chosen, as if we were on Shrove Thursday or Carnival Sunday, with the sweet and flavorful dish of rice pudding; and already Saint Joseph, the second patron of the Cortada household.
However, almond milk didn’t disappear entirely. It persisted in a version of menjar blanc still enjoyed in Tarragona, a Catalan province. Made with almond milk, rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon peel, this creamy white pudding is still traditionally eaten during Quaresma.
With all this historical context in mind, today I bring you a version of arroç amb llet that replaces cow’s milk with almond milk. It’s entirely vegan, and it connects Asian ingredients with Arab trade, medieval puddings, and Catholic traditions.
It also serves as a reminder that most gastronomies that we feel very identitary, are actually, a mix of many others.
Ingredients
33.8 oz (1 L) almond milk, unsweetened
5.3 oz (150 gr) round rice (like Arborio or Bomba)
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon peel
4 tbsp. white sugar
Powdered cinnamon, to serve
Chopped almonds, to serve
Instructions
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
In a pot, add almond milk, lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick. Heat over medium-low heat until it reaches a gentle simmer. Once simmering, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it infuse.
Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water to remove excess starch.
Add the rinsed rice to the pot with the almond milk mixture. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Stir in the sugar, and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon or non-stick spatula.
Turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel from the pot.
Let the mixture cool to your preference. If you like it warm, you can serve it immediately. For a cold version, divide it into individual bowls, cover with plastic wrap, and let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Chill until ready to serve.
Before serving, sprinkle with powdered cinnamon and chopped almonds for garnish.
Bon profit!
Some tips + downloadable card
This dish can be served as a dessert or as a sweet snack as the rice can be quite filling.
The amounts listed make for a creamy rice pudding. It always looks more liquid when hot than after it has cooled down a bit and the rice has absorbed more milk, but if you prefer it more compact, consider adding a bit more rice to the infused milk.
If you want to serve it cold. The best way is to serve it in individual bowls —without the powdered cinnamon and chopped almonds—, and to cover them with film paper. Once they are cool enough, keep them in the fridge until serving time.
It makes 4 small portions or 2-3 bigger ones.
How lovely! I have always adored rice pudding flavoured with lemon peel and cinnamon. It connects me with early childhood memories of Spain in a very visceral way (like Proust’s madeleine). I have been making vegan rice pudding myself and find it virtually as delicious as the animal milk version. And let’s not forget helado de arroz con leche, the sublime treat of Spanish summers. If you make a very creamy vegan rice pudding, puree it and fold in a generous amount of whisked vegan cream (eg coconut) before putting it through an ice cream maker, it’s absolutely sensational.
Love this month's colour palette 💐!