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Red River Cereal is a Canadian mix of dried grains for making a porridge-like cooked cereal.

It contains wheat flakes, rye flakes, sugar, flax (cracked and whole), salt, and artificial flavour.

It is sold in distinct red boxes and comes in Original, Ready to Serve and Ready to Serve flavoured (Maple & Brown Sugar) versions. The Ready to Serve kinds can be prepared in the microwave, or by pouring boiling water on them and letting them sit.

Red River Cereal is served hot and like porridge, you put milk and sugar on it.

It has a somewhat gritty texture when cooked up. Detractors say it feels like sand in your mouth. Wags say it looks like birdseed, and tastes like it. It also often emerges from the cooking process lumpy and stiff.

It is particularly popular in Western Canada, but sold in most grocery stores throughout Canada. That being said, many Canadians don't know about it. It has been available from time to time at some places in the States, such as Iowa.

Red River Cereal is actually now (2006) made in central Canada (specifically, Toronto) by Robin Hood Multifoods Company.

Similar mixtures in bulk stores are sometimes labelled as "Tri-Grain Mix."

Cooking Tips
Cook Red River Cereal on the stove for about 10 minutes

Substitutes
1 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup bulghur wheat, 4 tablespoons flax seed. Boil in 2 1/2 cups of water with salt.

History
Red River Cereal is named after the Red River Valley of Manitoba, Canada. It was invented in 1924 (disregard stories about it being eaten on the pioneer trail) in Manitoba.

It had its heyday in the mid 1900s.

Red River Cereal was reformulated after the advent of microwave ovens to provide better results for microwave preparation.

See Also:

Flax

Other entries for:

Grains
Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Cereals, Corn, Flax, Kamut, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Red River Cereal, Rice, Rye, Semolina, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Wheat