A stovetop dessert where wild blueberries are simmered into a sweet, syrupy base while soft biscuit dumplings are steamed on top under a lid. Named for the grunt sound the dumplings make as they cook. A historic Maritime dessert with Scottish-English steamed-pudding roots.
Blueberry grunt is a historic Maritime dessert, also called slump or fungy, with strong Scottish and English steamed-pudding roots adapted to the region's abundant wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are simmered into a sweet, syrupy base while soft biscuit-style dumplings are steamed on top under a lid; the dish is named for the grunt sound the dumplings make as they cook. It is tied to Nova Scotia's low-bush wild blueberry industry and is one of the simplest and most enduring East Coast desserts.
Warm, syrupy, intensely blueberry base with soft, fluffy, faintly sweet dumplings steamed on top, the two scooped together so the dumpling soaks up the purple juice. Eaten with cream or ice cream, it is fruity, homey and comforting.
The blueberries are simmered with sugar and a little water or lemon juice in a wide, lidded pan until they burst into a syrup. The biscuit dough (flour, baking powder, butter, milk, sugar) is dropped by spoonfuls directly onto the simmering berries, the lid goes on, and the dumplings steam-cook in the berry steam without touching the pan bottom. The covered steaming is what makes the dumplings fluffy rather than baked.
Variations
A spiced version adds cinnamon or nutmeg to the berries. Some cooks use a mix of blueberries and raspberries.
On the Palate
Where Blueberry Grunt sits in the Canadian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
In a wide lidded pan, combine 500g wild blueberries, 150g sugar, 120ml water and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
- 25 min
Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes until the berries burst into a syrup.
Watch outSimmer until the berries burst into a syrup — the dumplings steam on top of this, so it needs enough bubbling liquid underneath.
- 36 min
For the dumplings, mix 200g flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder and a pinch of salt; cut in 50g cold butter, then stir in 120ml milk to a soft dough.
- 44 min
Drop 6 spoonfuls of dough directly onto the simmering berries.
- 515 min
Cover tightly and cook over low heat 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked.
Watch outCover and don't peek for 15 minutes — the dumplings cook in the berry steam, and every lift of the lid deflates them.
- 64 min
Scoop into bowls, dumpling and berries together, and serve warm with cream or ice cream.
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