1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Porridge

PORRIDGE (an altered form of "pottage," Fr. potage, soup, that which is cooked in a pot), a food made by stirring meal, especially oatmeal, in boiling water and cooking it slowly until the whole becomes soft. The dish and its name are particularly identified with Scotland; in Ireland it is commonly known as "stir-about." The former application to a broth made of vegetables or of meat and vegetables thickened with barley or other meal is obsolete, and the earlier "pottage" is the usual word employed. The form "porridge" apparently dates from the 16th century. In "porringer," a porridge-bowl, the n is inserted as in "passenger," "messenger."