The traditional Christmas Eve dish has many different names, but most people know it as Kutia.

This is a lean dish prepared from wheat and barley grains in the form of porridge, with the addition of sugar, nuts, honey and other ingredients.

In addition to preparing kutia, there is also a tradition of giving it to godparents and other blood relatives, as well as just close people.

But, unfortunately, today not everyone knows when to wear kutya and how to do it correctly. It is worth noting that the tradition is quite popular, and therefore it is necessary to learn about it in more detail.

Why wear kutya and when is it right to do it?

Despite the fact that the ritual of wearing the supper is Orthodox, it came from the south of Ukraine, since the times of paganism.

The main message of this tradition remains the wish for well-being, since the grain from which kutia is prepared symbolizes fertility, honey represents wealth, and walnuts represent power.

But at the same time, the procedure for preparing the dish itself is not easy, which is why it reminds people that well-being, like any fruit, is achieved only through hard work.

Thus, the offering of the supper was carried out for those people who, through their work, had earned a certain respect.

With the advent of Christianity, the tradition was slightly changed, but the basic principle remained the same - the desire for well-being, wealth and power.

The wearing of the supper is also called a “procession of the cross”, because kutya is usually taken to close and blood relatives, as a symbol of family unity. Moreover, first of all, this concerned the godparents, who were thanked for being present at the second birth of the child, which is considered the rite of baptism, and taking upon themselves the responsibility of praying and spiritually instructing the child on the true path.

That is why the children themselves should wear kutya themselves.

In the pre-Christian period, children showed similar gratitude to midwives, who actually helped bring the baby into the world, and therefore were considered a second mother. But gradually this role was taken over by godfathers in relation to the godson’s parents.

In addition, we must remember that children are a symbol of spiritual purity and hope for a better future. Therefore, it is extremely important for children to congratulate, in addition to their second parents, their other relatives.

Also for this reason, children are traditionally the first to try cooked kutya, and then all other family members.

Kutya is prepared on Christmas Eve, before Christmas, so the supper is served after sunset on January 6th.

In ancient times, not only relatives, but also livestock were fed a festive dish, but not simply by throwing food, but in a special ritual way, since animals were one of the main symbols of well-being.

But today such rituals are no longer carried out, and in addition to January 6th, wearing kutia is also allowed in the evening of the 7th. Although fasting had already ended on Christmas Day, and since kutia was still a fasting dish, it was prepared specifically for Christmas Eve.

How to cook real Kutya

Today there are many recipes for kutia, but they are all divided into three types of dishes:

• rich - which is prepared on Christmas Eve,
• generous - a festive treat for the New Year?
• hungry - for Epiphany.

Accordingly, only the richest of these options can be used for the religious procession.

In order to prepare traditional kutya, you need to take cereal from wheat or barley grains. But today you can also use buckwheat, rice, oats, pearl barley and any other ingredient to your taste to prepare porridge.

Traditional kutia recipe for Christmas

If you prepare kutya according to the traditional recipe, then for one glass of wheat you will need one hundred grams of raisins, walnuts and poppy seeds, as well as two tablespoons of honey.

The grains must be well sorted, without debris, so if necessary, you will have to sort them by hand.

Then pour cold water and leave for at least 2-3 hours, and possibly overnight, until the grains swell. But when using polished wheat, this soaking is not required.

In order to cook wheat, you need to take two glasses of water for polished and three for regular. It is better to carry out the cooking process in a thick-walled or cast-iron pan until the wheat is completely softened.

The poppy seeds should be boiled for about 10 minutes, then strained thoroughly, waiting until all the water has drained out.

Rinse the raisins well and pour boiling water over them, then leave for 20 minutes and rinse.

Fry the nuts in a frying pan and chop them into small pieces with a knife. After this, mix and add honey to them.

Popular rice kutia

But today, kutia made with rice is more popular for Christmas, especially since it is easier to prepare than wheat.

To do this, use one and a half to two glasses of water per glass of rice, which must first be brought to a boil, then add the rice and cook in a saucepan with the lid closed for about three minutes on high heat, then another six minutes on medium and finally three minutes on low. . After this, keep the cereal in the pan for another 12 minutes without opening the lid so that the rice is properly steamed.

Uzvar is a necessary attribute of kutya

Kutya is also seasoned with uzvar, which is essentially a compote.

To prepare, you need to rinse the dried fruits, then pour them into cold water and bring them to a boil together with the fruits.

As for boiled dried fruits, a small part of them can be chopped and added to the dish.

How to decorate kutya

When the dish is cooked, put the porridge in a deep plate.

An important point is that if ordinary wheat was cooked, then honey is poured into the porridge right before serving or before visiting relatives. Because if honey is in the porridge too early, the original taste of kutya will be spoiled.

There is no need to particularly decorate this dish, as it is considered beautiful in itself. But modern chefs, in order to give the kutia an even more attractive look, place pieces of nuts, candied fruits, multi-colored dragees on top, and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Good afternoon friends. In our culture, holidays are closely associated with cooking. There are even dishes that are associated specifically with a certain event. For example, Olivier; This salad is usually prepared on New Year's Eve. Eggs and Easter cake - for Easter. Or, kutya. Dish for the Christmas holidays. How to cook kutya for Christmas? Which recipe is considered traditional and what are the secrets of more modern versions? And in general, let's talk not only about how correct, but also what to cook kutya from. Let's also touch on the topic of other traditions and customs that are associated with this dish.

And that's where we start: history! Then I will talk about a variety of recipes. And you can supplement my story with your secrets for preparing this porridge.

The gastronomic story of Christmas

We can safely say that, despite the fact that grain porridge with pieces of fruit is part of traditions Slavic culture, but kutya itself came to our people from an older civilization with many customs. It was Greece that rewarded us with the custom of preparing this dish for religious celebrations.

True, in those distant times they had not yet heard of Christ. And the kutya itself was prepared for a number of pagan religious holidays, as well as public and family ones. Among them were not only light ones, dedicated to birth, but also to death. It’s as if everything that concerns a person’s life, from beginning to end, is contained in the symbolism of the ingredients of this dish.

So why do they cook Kutya? If the grain symbolizes life, then additional ingredients, such as poppy seeds or nuts, mean prosperity and generosity. Sweet foods such as honey and fruits speak of a sweet life full of pleasures. This is exactly what they mean when they wear kutya for christmas home. She is a wish for all the best, which for many people represents happiness. And the words that are spoken at the same time seem to program that life will become surprisingly good!

I will give examples of decorating kutya.

Varieties of traditional treats

Before before Christmas When you start cooking this sweet porridge, you need to decide what kind of kutya you are going to make. What kind of cereal will you choose, what will be the additional ingredients. And you still need to decide on the consistency.

Did you know that the name of kutya and its purpose depend on the consistency of the porridge? To be honest, it was a discovery for me too. Therefore, now I will name all possible variations of this dish, and then together we will figure out what it looks like in practice.

Kutya happens:

• Poor;
• Generous;
• From different types of cereals;
• Both the decoration of the porridge and its presentation are important;
• Kolivo;
• Sochivo.

And let's talk a little about each type.

Poor. It is prepared before Christmas. Since it is believed that fasting lasts until the holiday itself, kutia prepared the day before should not contain either milk or butter. This kind of porridge is also called hungry or water porridge.

Generous or rich Kutya was cooked before the New Year. Its meaning was to give abundance to the house and its residents. This dish contained butter and cream, and even a little alcohol was allowed.

From different types cereals. This dish is not limited to any type of grain or additives. Most often, porridge is cooked from pearl barley. But both rice and barley are acceptable. Depends on the preferences of the housewife and on what specific holiday the kutia is cooked for.

Both the decoration of the porridge and its presentation are important.. How to decorate a dish depends mainly on when and before what event it is prepared. For example, before Christmas, the porridge will be decorated with a minimal set of products: honey or uzvar. After that - any sweets, including sweets, fruits and alcoholic tinctures on fruits. The presentation may also be unusual. For example, you can bake kutia in a pumpkin, soaking it in honey.

Kolivo.Recipe Cooking kolivo is simple. The porridge should be dry and as crumbly as possible.

Sochivo. Unlike kolivo, sochivo, on the contrary, should be juicy, with the addition of liquid honey or milk, honey satiety, uzvar, and jam. The porridge turns out semi-liquid.

Formula for delicious kutia

Here are a couple of traditional recipes for the holidays.

Recipe 1. From wheat

To make porridge from wheat It turned out delicious, the grains are pre-soaked. Or they can be boiled in a small amount of water.

Ingredients:

• Wheat – 1 tbsp.;
• Raisins - a small bag;
• Nuts – 10-15 pcs.;
• Honey – 4 tbsp.

1. Boil the wheat.
2. Pour boiling water over raisins for 10 minutes.
3. Chop the nuts, chop and lightly fry.
4. If the honey is not liquid, dilute it slightly with water.
5. Combine all ingredients. Close the lid and leave to brew for 15 minutes.

Recipe 2. From rice

Second option from rice.

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1 tbsp.;
• Milk – 2.5 tbsp;
• Quince – 2 pcs.;
• Pumpkin – 100g;
• Sugar - to taste;
• Oil – 100g.

Friends! A delicious topic is always difficult to finish. I just want to rush into the kitchen to prepare a dish. That's exactly what I'm going to do now. And you can practice so that at the right time, both children and adults will like your dish in taste and appearance. Therefore, I will be glad if you share what you did. You can even send a photo to one of the contact addresses. And I will insert your photo into the article.

And for today we must say goodbye, unfortunately! Read, write, subscribe to new articles. Invite your friends! I will help you always be aware of all events.

16.11.2014

Kutya, or kutya, is one of the most traditional Christmas dishes, along with broth (kutya is made with compote made from dried fruits), rolls, jelly, cabbage, and dumplings. Dishes have their own subcategories: those served on Christmas Eve - they are lean, and dishes served on the most beautiful and brightest Christmas holiday - modest dishes. Kutya is irreplaceable during the days of Lent and on mournful days - on memorial days.

Kutya is a word with Greek roots and means approximately the following - “boiled wheat”. Kutya, by the way, in the Ancient world was also associated with the cult of remembering the dead. This dish has many names - satiate, kolivo, sochivo, and eve. In short, there are enough names, as well as the recipes for preparing this dish. So, rich kutia is prepared directly on the long-awaited Christmas Eve (this is January 6 for us), generous kutia is a traditional dish for the New Year, and hungry kutia is an undeniable element of the feast on the frosty Epiphany holidays.

Depending on the predominance of the amount of liquid, the kutia may turn out runny or thicker. The grain that is used in preparing kutia is a symbol of eternal life and abundance. Honey is identified with health, family and household well-being, and spiritual bliss. Nuts and poppy seeds are elements of fertility and prosperity. The richer the Christmas kutia (here we mean its richness and deliciousness), the higher the wealth the family will gain in the coming year.

The traditional Christmas meal begins with kutia on the eve of the holiday. There is even an exact time - with the first star. They finish the meal with a spoonful of kutya, exchanging memories and wishes about relatives and friends who have passed on to another world. Every member of the family should try kutya; even domestic animals and livestock are treated to this dish so that they do not get sick and regularly bring offspring to the household. Kutya is distributed to neighbors, godparents and other relatives, if distance allows.

According to an ancient custom, the owner of the house threw the remaining kutya up from a spoon. How many grains of grain stuck to the ceiling, so many sheaves of bread were expected in the coming year. Nowadays, this can be timed to coincide with something important to you. If you put a few ears of wheat under a bowl of kutya, then you can store them as a talisman for a whole year. At night, you should definitely leave a bowl of kutia for the souls of the departed.

The basis of kutya is cereals and whole grains. The dressing for Christmas kutia will be lean milk, poppy seeds, nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts or assorted ones. For quick kutia, you can use a dressing made from cream, butter or milk. Traditionally, kutya is flavored with liquid honey. It is placed in a container, placed in a basin and dissolved in warm water, never in boiling water.

You can enrich kutia with jam, marmalade, compote, and in special cases, candy! All kinds of herbs and spices help.

2018-01-06

Hello my dear readers! Christmas Eve or Holy Evening is on the doorstep. Today, kutia is traditionally prepared for Christmas. This simple treat is the crown of the festive table, which should include twelve Lenten dishes.

Let's get up early and, after praying, get started. Cooking kutya is not difficult. It is quite possible to involve even small children in the preparation - let them mix, grind, decorate, get in the way, laugh and create a festive, high spirits with their presence. Waiting for the holiday is a magical time!

I often hear experienced housewives arguing about what is the right way to prepare kutia (not only for Christmas, but also on other occasions). Some authoritatively argue that only wheat should be used as a grain base, others say that rice is no worse. In fact, it is acceptable to use both wheat and rice and a few other things.

Kutia for Christmas - recipe

Grain base of kutya for Christmas

• Wheat grains.
• Pearl barley.
• Millet.
• Buckwheat.
• Beans, beans, lentils, peas.

How to prepare the grain base of kutia for Christmas

Since wheat and rice are most often used to prepare Christmas kutia, we will look in detail at how to cook crumbly porridge for kutia from wheat and rice grains.

Wheat

1. Sort through, throw away spoiled grains and garbage.
2. Wash thoroughly, fill with clean cold water, and allow to swell for 24 hours. If you are pressed for time, then soak for twelve hours, or at the very least for two to three hours.
3. In a saucepan (preferably cast iron), heat water to a boil, add wheat (drain the water first, drain the grains in a colander).

   Comment

   The ratio of cereals and water: one part by volume of dry cereal, three parts water.

4. Boil, turn down the heat, cook without salt until tender.

   On a note

   Ready wheat is soft, but does not lose its shape.

   .
5. Salt the almost finished wheat a little, drain off the excess liquid (but do not pour it out - it may still be useful), cool the porridge and use it to prepare Christmas kutia.

Rice

1. Rinse the cereal and soak in warm water for 15 minutes.
2. Boil water, add rice (without water), cook for 12-15 minutes until the water is completely absorbed by the cereal. At the end of cooking, lightly salt.

   Comment

   The ratio of rice and water: one part by volume of dry rice - one and a half parts water.

3. Cool and use to prepare kutia.

What is kutya prepared with for Christmas?

In kutya on any grain basis put:

• Poppy seeds (rinse, pour boiling water, cook for 10-15 minutes, drain in a colander).
• Dried fruits (raisins, cherries, prunes, dried apricots, dates, figs, soak in water with honey).
• Nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, toast, finely chop with a knife).
• Candied fruits, jam, sugar, coconut flakes, dried paradise apples without core (these ingredients are added much less frequently than the above).

Kutia for Christmas made from rice - recipes

Rice kutia with raisins

1. Boil rice as directed above. Stir with prepared raisins, add a little honey to taste.

Rice kutia with poppy seeds, dried fruits, candied fruits, nuts

1. Cook the fluffy rice.
2. Add poppy seeds, chopped nuts, candied fruits, a mixture of dried fruits, and honey to taste. If desired, you can add a little coconut.

An ancient recipe for kutia from rice with almonds and sherry

1. Mix crumbly rice with liquid honey and a couple of tablespoons of sherry.
2. Remove the husks from the toasted almonds, grind them, and add to the rice.
3. Add some dark raisins and stir.

Wheat kutia for Christmas

How to cook wheat kutia for Christmas? When do they wear it to godparents and grandparents? Girls bombarded their mothers and older sisters with such questions during my childhood. But I didn’t cook kutya myself at a young age - my mother made the main Christmas dish.

And my cousin and I just took it to the “supper” and sang carols: “Angels and shepherds sing praises, and wolves travel with a star!” - not knowing that these are words from one of the most famous church hymns for Christmas, “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential.”

The simplest recipe for wheat kutia

1. Boil the prepared wheat, drain the remaining liquid. Cook until the wheat is completely soft, but no grains remain intact.
2. In the evening, prepare dried fruits - raisins, prunes, dried apricots. Boil, drain, cool the poppy seeds.
3. Roast nuts (any), remove the husks, finely chop with a knife.
4. Mix still warm wheat with honey, dried fruits, nuts, poppy seeds.
5. Place in a beautiful bowl. The top can be decorated with nuts, beautiful pieces of dried apricots, and multi-colored dragees.

How to decorate kutya

Most often, kutia is not decorated, but in some areas there is a custom of sprinkling it with powdered sugar and cinnamon through a stencil, creating interesting and beautiful patterns. Here in the photo you can see the decoration options.

My comments

• For a change, try “composing” your own kutia by combining several grain bases. Remember that different types of cereals should be cooked separately.
• Cinnamon lovers can add a little ground spice to kutia of any composition.
• If you use polished wheat, there is no need to soak it. For a glass of this cereal, take two glasses of water.

I run off to prepare kutya and other Christmas dishes. Which one of you cooks? This year I was late and didn’t have time to do it.

I look forward to your comments, my dear readers. Subscribe to blog updates, stay up to date with events on it. I would be very grateful to you for sending the article to your social networks.

All the best! Christ is born, let us glorify Him!

Always yours Irina.

Tenderness, light sadness, universal melancholy - everything is intertwined in the poems of our beloved poet...

Christmas romance - words by I. Brodsky, music and performance by V. Popov

According to church tradition, the basis of the Christmas meal is sochivo, prepared from boiled wheat grains, poppy seed juice and honey. But the charter allows it to be replaced with kutya. We have collected 5 recipes for kutia from different cereals and tell you why they are useful.

1. Kutya made from wheat

Ingredients: 200 g of wheat, 3 glasses of water, 1 pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 125 g of poppy seeds, 100 g of raisins, 100 g of roasted walnuts, 2-3 tablespoons of honey.

Preparation: Rinse the wheat in running water and soak it for several hours. When the grains swell, add salt, vegetable oil, and cook over medium heat until soft. This will take about two hours. If you're short on time, choose polished wheat, which takes 20 minutes to cook. Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds and raisins and leave for 60 and 20 minutes, respectively. Place on cheesecloth and grind in a mortar or blender until juice appears. Combine all ingredients, add honey and stir well.

Benefit: Wheat is rich in vegetable protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc, potassium and calcium. It contains 6 B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B4, B6, B9), as well as vitamins A, C, E and F. Like others, Christmas kutia made from wheat will be beneficial for the health of the cardiovascular system and prevention diabetes mellitus

2. Kutia from pearl barley (barley)

Ingredients: 200 g pearl barley, 100 g poppy seeds, 100 g walnuts, 100 g raisins, 100 g dried apricots, 2 tablespoons honey, 3 glasses of water, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Preparation: To make pearl barley cook faster, fill it with cold water for 2-3 hours. When the cereal swells, replace the water and simmer over low heat for 50-60 minutes. To prevent the porridge from sticking, add vegetable oil to the water. Pour boiling water over poppy seeds for an hour, pour hot water over raisins and dried apricots. Grind the walnuts in a mortar. Mix all ingredients with honey and serve with.

Benefit: Like wheat, pearl barley is rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. In its composition you will find phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and iron. Kutya made from pearl barley not only fills you up for a long time, but is also recommended for dietary nutrition for chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Also, eating whole barley grains will help in prevention and treatment.

3. Rice kutia

Ingredients: 200 g rice, 100 g almonds, 100 g walnuts, 100 g poppy seeds, 100 g raisins, 100 g dried apricots,

Preparation: To soften almonds, pour boiling water over them for 15 minutes. You will have to do the same with raisins and dried apricots. The poppy seeds are kept in hot water for an hour, after which they are crushed until white juice appears. The rice is cooked over low heat without a lid. When it has cooled, add honey, poppy seeds, dried fruits and nuts to the pan.

Benefit: Rice is extremely beneficial for the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and urinary system. It is rich in protein, fiber, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2) and niacin (vitamin PP). When polished, most of these substances are destroyed along with the shell, which is why minimally processed brown and black rice is considered the healthiest. Rice kutia for Christmas will be especially appropriate for gastritis with high acidity, and rice starch is an excellent remedy for diarrhea.

4. Kutia made from barley

Ingredients: 200 g barley, 1.5 liters of water, ½ glass of milk, 100 g poppy seeds, 2 tablespoons of cranberry or currant jam, 2 tablespoons of honey.

Preparation: Boil barley, drain excess water and mix with milk. Steam the poppy seeds in boiling water and grind in a mortar until milk appears. Mix all the ingredients and season the kutia with honey and jam. If desired, you can add dried apricots, prunes and raisins, after pouring boiling water over them for 20 minutes.

Benefit: Barley groats are not ground, so they are especially rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It contains potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron, which will help prevent anemia, diarrhea, metabolic syndrome and obesity.

5. Bulgur kutia

Ingredients: 200 g bulgur, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, 100 g raisins, 100 g poppy seeds, 100 g walnuts, 1 pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons honey.

Preparation: Cook bulgur until soft for 15-20 minutes. While the cereal is cooling, steam the raisins and poppy seeds, and chop the walnuts. Mash the steamed poppy seeds in a mortar and mix with honey. Season the bulgur, add seeds and sesame seeds.

Benefit: In this cereal you will find potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and iron, healthy polyunsaturated fats, B vitamins and vitamin K. It has fewer calories than buckwheat, but 1.5 times more fiber, which improves digestion and normalizes metabolism substances. Bulgur is a product with a low glycemic index, which is why nutritionists recommend it for people with diabetes and obesity.