Ukranian Christmas dish – Kutya (Kutia?)
by Chris Nizzi on December 14th, 2008A friend of mine and I have been discussing Christmas traditions and in particular festive dishes. One dish has sparked a debate. Its called Kutya. Kutya is regarded as a Ukrainian Christmas dish but also seems to have variations from Russia and Belarus.
What we know about Kutya is in the following paragraphs. we are trying to find out more!
The tradition behind Kutya
In the Ukraine, Kutya is an intrinsic part of the Chritmas celebrations and is traditionally taken to God parents.
The dish originates from some 5000 years ago when wheat was first cultivated in the area we now know as the Ukraine. Originally it was prepared for ritual but I guess that knowledge is probably lost. If you look at what the dish represents nowadays, it probably was an offering to the prevailing gods for a good harvest or something similar.
What is Kutya?
Kutya is based on wheat grains or rice, honey and raisins and sounds like a splendid rice pudding.
Depending on the area, it can have additional ingredients like walnuts, dried fruits, poppy seeds and a variety of other spices.
The dish Kutya dish itself represents fertility and abundance.
The wheat grains or rice represent hope and the poppy seeds, happiness and peace
It’s ingredients are not dissimilar to many of the wholegrain health bars you can buy today. Endorsing the claim to Kutya being a very nutritious food in its own right.
The recipe we have for Kutya
The ingredients you need
2 cups cleaned whole wheat kernels
1 cup cleaned poppy seed
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup walnuts
You can also add dried fruits to taste.
Cooking instructions
- Wash the wheat in cold water.
- Leave the wheat to soak overnight covered by an inch or two of water.
- Bring the water to a boil and then simmer until the wheat kernels burst open and the water becomes thick and creamy in texture. (Stir occasionally to prevent sticking) This can take up to 4 hours!
- Chop both the poppy seeds and walnuts in a food processor.
- Mix honey, sugar with hot water so it has a thick texture
- Mix the chopped nuts, honey mixture and wheat thoroughly along with any dried friut you may want to add.
- Leave in the fridge for several days to enhance it’s flavour before serving.
Enjoy it!
What do you know about Kutya?
Do you know why it’s traditional to take Kutya to God parents?
Do you know anything about the tradition and history of Kutya?
Please leave a comment.
If you have your own recipe for Kutya?
Please send it to me using the ‘contact me‘ page and I’ll add it to this page with full credits.
Help settle a debate!
Thanks
Chris Nizzi
