Dmitry
Difference between "cereal" and "porridge" Is there any difference between "cereal" and "porridge"?
Oct 27, 2017 6:21 PM
Answers · 8
2
Cereal refers to something made of grain, that is often eaten in a bowl for breakfast. Porridge is one type of cereal, and usually means oatmeal. I have porridge most days. If someone asks me what I had for breakfast, I say "A bowl of cereal/oatmeal". I often have similar cereals, but I refer to oatmeal as cereal.
October 27, 2017
2
Porridge, as Veronika points out, is a dish made from oatmeal or another meal or cereal that is boiled in water or milk. Cereal has two definitions: 1) it is a breakfast food made from a roasted grain ~ wheat, oats, rice, or corn ~ that is typically eaten cold with milk; or 2) it is a grain that is used for food, such as wheat, oats, or corn. Hope this helps!
October 27, 2017
1
In the United States, we rarely use the word "porridge." The word "cereal," without qualification, almost always means dry, packaged "breakfast cereal," eaten cold with milk on it. Examples include corn flakes, shredded wheat, and many kinds of brand names (Cheerios, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, etc.). It also includes the more "natural" cold cereals like granola and muesli. "Hot cereal" is the usual term for those that are eaten hot--by far the most popular is oatmeal; others include Cream of Wheat (farina), and "grits." As a technical term in agriculture or ethnogeography, "cereal" can mean "various species of starchy grains grown for food." It's named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. Getting truly off-topic, the totally different words "cereal" and "serial" are pronounced exactly the same way and are a frequent subject of puns. When I was a child, I encountered the word "porridge" in two places: one of the "Mother Goose rhymes," and the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." I had no idea what it was and had to have it explained to me. "Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot Nine days old. Some like it hot, And some like it cold, And some like it in the pot Nine days old." I assume that "pease porridge" was made of peas. I think the rhyme is still a part of popular culture in the U.S. Certainly it's the source of the movie title, "Some Like It Hot."
October 28, 2017
Perhaps there is a US/British difference here - or perhaps a difference between those who eat porridge and those who don't. Here, as Robert suggests, cereal is any grain-based breakfast dish, including porridge, even though often people will mean dried cereal, if they use just that word.
October 28, 2017
Cereal is dry, like cornflakes. Porridge is boiled, for example an oatmeal porridge.
October 27, 2017
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