So you want to have a traditional English feast for Christmas? Why not serve piping hot frumenty? And to make it really authentic, here's a 15th century recipe:
To make frumente. Tak clene whete & braye yt wel in a morter tyl the holes gon of; sethe it til it breste
in water. Nym it up & lat it cole. Tak good broth & sweet mylk of kyn or of almand & tempere it
therwith. Nym yelkys of eyren rawe & saffroun & cast therto; salt it; lat it naught boyle after the eyren
ben cast therinne. Messe if forth with venesoun or with fat motoun fresch.
Today, the dish is made with store-bought
cracked wheat or
bulghur wheat to save time. Apparently you're aiming for a dish with the consistency of
rice pudding, or
risotto, so if you use
wheat berries, you're in for a long cooking time.
Frumenty recipe #2
Take clene pykyd whete.
Bray hit yn a morter, and fanne it clene, and seth hit tyl hit be brokyn.
Than grynd blanchid almondys yn a morter, draw therof a mylke.
Do hit togedyr and boyle hit tyl hit be resonabull thykke: than loke thy whete be tendyr. Colour hit up with safferyn.
Lech thy purpas when hit ys sodyn, than ley hit on disches by hitsylfe, and
serve hit forth with frumente.
Mmmmm. Frumenty.