På Loftet Sidder Nissen

(The Elf Is Sitting In The Attica)

When we were kids we would get “RisAlamanda” as Dessert on Christmas Eve.

A nice rice porridge cooked in whole milk. Cooled down and then whip cream added. It is served with a Cherry Sauce on top.

Nevertheless, the day before when my mom made the rice porridge, some of the porridge would be placed in a bowl outside for NISSEN. The little Christmas elf.

Us kids were convinced that the little elves were out there having a great time. It was not before I became a teen, I realized that it was the cat who ate it.

Our earlier generations – like my grandparents – the tradition was to actually eat the rice porridge – before the pork roast dinner. It was properly to fill up the stomach so people would eat less meat and potatoes.

My Mom would “half cook the rice porridge” on the wooden stove. Then she would wrap the pot in newspaper and towels and place it in the bed – where it would “cook finished”.

One of our regular Christmas songs were

På Loftet Sidder Nissen ( The little Christmas Elf is sitting in the attic)

Music composed by Otto Teich 1892
Lyrics written by Margrethe Munthe 1911

På loftet sidder nissen med sin julegrød,
sin julegrød, så god og sød,
han nikker, og han spiser, og han er så glad
for julegrød er hans bedste mad.
Men rundt omkring står alle de små rotter,
og de skotter, og de skotter:
“Vi vil så gerne ha’ lidt julegodter,”
og de danser, danser rundt i ring.

Men nissefar han truer med sin store ske:
“Vil I nu se at komme væk,
for jeg vil ha’ min julegrød i ro og fred,
og ingen, ingen vil jeg dele med.”
Men rotterne de hopper, og de danser,
og de svinser, og de svanser,
de kikker efter grøden, og de standser,
og de står om nissen tæt i ring.

Men nissefar han er en lille hidsigprop,
og med sin krop han gør et hop:
“Jeg henter katten, hvis I ikke holder op,
når katten kommer, skal det nok bli’ stop.”
Så bliver alle rotterne så bange,
åh, så bange, åh, så bange,
de vender sig og danser et par gange,
og en, to, tre, så er de væk!

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB-fpPKSInk

RisAlamanda – Danish traditional Dessert for Christmas

1 quart whole milk

1 cup of short grain white rice

1 quart whipping cream

1 cup sugar

Danish Vanilla sugar or vanilla from the vanilla bean (not liquid vanilla)

Cook whole milk and rice over slowest heat until rice is soft. (can take some time)

Let it cool. (You can cook it the day before)

Turn in softly the sugar and vanilla.

Whip the cream and turn softly into other ingredients.

Serve with Cherry Sauce (or strawberry or raspberry jam)

Vibeke Lindhardt

14 December 2017

vibekesonja.blogspot.com