Kutia is a ritual funeral porridge, which is prepared for all Orthodox holidays, as well as for commemoration, 9 days and 40 days. Cooking this dish is not difficult, but it is deeply symbolic, so be sure to take into account that all the ingredients in this dish are laid not just like that, but with intent.
For example, funeral kutya is prepared from cereals because grain is a symbol of resurrection, eternal life. That is why kutya can only be prepared from whole grains, it is not just porridge. Kutya, the recipe of which you will find on our website, is necessarily traditional. In fact, kutya is prepared from a variety of cereals - it depends on the area and on the traditions of preparing funeral porridge, but in order to cook kutya, you can cook buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, wheat, pearl barley. The most important thing is that kutya be made from whole, not crushed grain.
- 1. If you want to know how to cook kutia for a wake, then you should know that this dish is always sweet, with honey, always with raisins, poppy seeds, nuts or other candied fruits and dried fruits. Properly cooked kutya is always boiled on uzvar - dried fruit compote.
- 2. The funeral kutia needs to be consecrated, if it was not possible to go to church and receive consecration from a clergyman, you must do it yourself by sprinkling it with holy water.
- 3. For the preparation of kutia, dishes with thick walls are always used, ideally, a cast iron or cauldron, or a ceramic saucepan.
- 4. Any funeral kutya, the recipe of which you will find in this article, is served chilled.
- 5. Since kutya is a ritual porridge for the wake, great importance is attached to decoration. This dish must be decorated - you can use candied fruit, nuts, poppy seeds, sometimes marmalade or candy.
- 6. Any kutya is a memorial one - even the one that is served on the bright holiday of Christmas.
- 7. Before eating kutia, you need to read a prayer.
- 8. Kutya is not prepared in large quantities, since honey tends to ferment if kutya is standing for a long time. In addition, kutya is not thrown away - it must be eaten, commemorating the dead, until it runs out.
In order to prepare a funeral kutya, you will need the following products:
- Rice - half a glass;
- Water - two glasses;
- Dried apricots, poppy seeds, prunes, various candied fruits, raisins - to taste, usually 50-100 grams of each ingredient;
- Honey - 3 tablespoons;
- Nuts - usually walnuts or almonds - 60 grams.
Rice should be thoroughly washed, then boil it in the specified amount of water.
Each of the sweet ingredients is soaked in boiling water for an hour. As for nuts, only almonds are soaked for 15 minutes. After this soaking, it is washed, and then the skin is removed from it very easily. If the walnut is, then it should only be slightly calcined in a frying pan. Poppy should be put on a fine sieve so that the water from it is glass, and then added to a mortar or blender, and grind in such a way that white milk appears.
After that, mix the porridge with honey, as well as poppy seeds, some nuts and candied fruits or dried fruits. We decorate everything the way you like.
Kutya from rice
Rice kutya cooks faster than kutya from other cereals, with the exception of buckwheat. But buckwheat kutya is cooked not so often, and that is why rice kutya can be found most often.
Rice kutya is served cold, and for its preparation you will need to take the following products:
Rice - one glass of rice;
Dried fruits (you can take a mixture - dried apricots, prunes, raisins) - all in the amount of 200 grams;
Peeled walnut - 100 grams;
Honey - 3 tablespoons of liquid honey;
First you need to wash the rice thoroughly, until clear water, at least 7 times. After that, you need to take a pan with thick walls, bring everything to a boil, add salt, add rice and mix. Everything is cooked until done. Next, the rice should be rinsed with cold boiled water, put on a sieve - so it does not stick together, and each grain of kutya will be separate. Now we take a frying pan without oil, and on it we slightly dry the walnuts, which you have already previously cleaned. Then you need to rinse all the dried fruits, pour them with fire, and then boil for 5 minutes. The water must be drained, and the dried fruits should be cut into equal cubes the size of an average raisin, so that it is convenient to eat them.
Rice, which by this time should have cooled down, should be mixed with dried fruits and nuts, seasoned with liquid honey. Kutya is then laid out on a plate in a slide and decorated with the remaining dried fruits and pieces of nuts at your discretion.
Kutya for a wake
Kutia for the wake is prepared from whole grains, and honey, poppy seeds, and nuts are also added there. Here is a recipe for funeral wheat kutya, but you can cook the same thing, but only from rice or pearl barley, the difference will be in the cooking time.
So, to prepare a funeral kutia, you will need the following products:
Wheat - 1 glass;
Raisins - 100 grams;
Walnuts - 100 grams;
Honey - about three tablespoons of liquid honey, kutya must be sweet;
Poppy seeds - 50 - 100 grams.
In order to prepare kutya, the washed wheat is first soaked overnight in plenty of water. After you have done this, you just need to take the wheat and rinse it thoroughly, and then pour it with water, which should be three times more than cereals, now put a thick-walled pan with its contents on medium heat, wait for the water to boil. As it boils, you need to salt everything, reduce the fire to almost a minimum and cook until tender. But this cooking method is for unpolished wheat. If you cook from polished wheat, then it cooks just as quickly as rice.
All dried fruits that you have must first be soaked in hot water, and soak poppy seeds in the same way, but separately, in boiling water. Walnuts need to be chopped into small pieces and calcined in a dry frying pan or in a microwave oven for 30 seconds at maximum power.
Poppy needs to be ground to such an extent that white milk begins to appear. If it’s hard to grind the poppy, then after you drain the water from it, you need to add a tablespoon of sugar there, it will be much easier. Now you need to cut large dried fruits too. Mix all this into the cereal along with honey, before serving, decorate with nuts, whole dried fruits, candied fruits, if desired.
Kutia memorial
Kutya funeral barley is prepared very simply, it turns out quite crumbly and tasty. But in order to prepare a good funeral barley kutya, you will need to take a cauldron or any other thick-walled pan, so you get porridge with individual grains. To begin with, you need to wash the cereal very well, and then pour it with water - you need to take about twice as much water as cereals, and leave it all to infuse overnight. In the morning, the groats are again thoroughly washed, and that is why they cook the basis for the funeral kutya from it.
Ingredients you will need to prepare this dish:
Pearl barley - 1 glass;
Walnuts - 100 grams;
Raisins - 100 grams of selected pitted raisins;
Honey - 2 tablespoons;
Dried apricots - 100 grams.
First you need to take the cereal, pour it with water - 2 cups, and then salt well to taste and boil until cooked over medium heat. Barley cooks quickly enough, if you soaked it overnight, one hour should be enough for you. Just don't make the fire strong. If you want the cooked funeral kutya to come out guaranteed crumbly, then you need to add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil at the beginning of cooking - then the grains will definitely not stick together, but will remain neat even after the kutya has completely cooled down.
Poppy should be boiled for 10 minutes, and after that you need to drain the water from it with a sieve or gauze folded several times. Then you need to take a rolling pin and use it to crush the poppy until white milk is formed. Now you need to take the raisins, sort them out, then pour boiling water over them, and drain the water. Dried apricots should also be poured over with boiling water, sorted and washed, and then cut into small squares. If dried fruits are not very soft, then they must first be soaked for one hour in boiling water. Next, you need to mix poppy seeds and nuts, as well as pearl barley with dried apricots and raisins. Garnish with dried fruits and serve.
Kutya from rice funeral
Cooking kutya from rice is simple, the most important thing is to choose good quality rice that will not stick together when cooked.
If you do not want the funeral kutya to look like a slur, then you will need to take the following products:
Steamed rice - a glass;
Poppy seeds - one glass;
Almond nuts - 100 grams;
Fresh light raisins, selected pitted - 100 grams;
Liquid natural honey to taste.
First you need to take rice, rinse it thoroughly, then pour it with water so that it is twice as much as cereals. After that, you need to boil it as indicated on the package. There is no need to add vegetable oil to such rice or pre-calcinate it in oil, since it will already be crumbly.
After that, put the kettle on the fire - you need to rinse the poppy seeds and pour boiling water over it for one hour. Almond nuts should also be poured with boiling water and left for 15 minutes. After that, rinse the nut again with the remaining boiling water, put it on a saucer and quickly clean it. The nuts that you have already freed from the film should be slightly dried in the oven or in a dry frying pan. After that, you need to take the raisins, drain the water from it, rinse everything, and then mix the raisins with honey and rice if it has already cooled down. We also mix in the almonds, which you previously chopped a little. Only part of the almond should be left whole. Drain the water from the poppy and crush it with a blender. Mix it with the funeral kutya. After that, you need to decorate everything with the remaining whole nuts and raisins, if desired.
Another option
Funeral barley kutya with prunes is one of the traditional ritual dishes, and it is also quite simple to cook it.
You will need the following products for this:
Whole pearl barley - 200 grams;
Peeled nuts - 50 grams;
Sugar and honey are added to taste;
Prunes - 100 grams;
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon.
First you need to do pearl barley in the evening - you need to rinse it very well, because for one glass of pearl barley you need to pour 2 glasses of water into the pan in which it will stand all night. In the morning, barley should be washed again until the water is clear. Spread the washed cereal in a cauldron, then add two glasses of water and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. When pearl barley is cooked, it gives a rich foam, which must be removed during cooking. As soon as the foam is removed, add a little salt, cover the cauldron and set the minimum temperature for cooking so that the grits do not burn. Barley should be completely ready in one hour.
Put the kettle on the fire, rinse the poppy seeds, dried fruits and almonds. Prunes can be put in one container with raisins, but poppy seeds and nuts separately. Pour boiling water over dried fruits for one hour, poppy seeds too - there should be exactly twice as much water in a glass as poppy seeds, after that you need to pour almonds in a separate container for 20 minutes. After peeling it from the peel, and then you need to dry everything in a pan. Next, you need to take the poppy, drain the water from it, and thoroughly crush the poppy itself. If crushing is hard enough, then you need to add a spoonful of sugar so that the poppy seeds are easier to grind, after that you need to take raisins, prunes. Drain the water, and put the dried fruits in a sieve or on a paper towel so that the remaining water is gone. After that, you need to wait until the cereal has cooled, and then mix everything together with honey. Decorate with nuts, serve.
Kutya from rice funeral
Funeral rice kutya is prepared most often, and this is absolutely not surprising, since rice is cooked very quickly, unlike oats or barley.
To prepare a funeral kutya according to these recipes, you need to take the following products:
Poppy seeds - 4 tablespoons;
Light raisins - 50 grams;
Dark raisins - 50 grams;
Honey - exactly 3 tablespoons;
A glass of long-grain rice;
Dried cranberries - 50 grams;
Walnuts - a glass;
Odorless vegetable oil or olive oil - a tablespoon.
You need to take rice, rinse it to clean water - at least 7 times, then pour twice as much water into the cereal as rice, add a small pinch of salt, vegetable oil, then boil everything under a lid over low heat after boiling. After that, you need to cool the rice under the lid so that it does not dry out, and then take the kettle, pour water into it and put it on the fire to boil. Raisins should be washed, and poured with boiling water, and after that, cranberries should also be washed.
Next, you need to do the following - take cranberries, sort, wash, put on a napkin. Now the nuts - we roast them either in the microwave, or take a dry frying pan and put them there. Then you need to do poppy seeds - drain the water from it, and then you just need to crush everything with a mortar. After that, the rice is dressed with honey and all the ingredients, decorated with nuts and dried cranberries and served at the table.
Kutya sweet rice
You can also cook sweet kutya from wheat and figs, for this you will need to take the following products:
- A glass of wheat (200 grams);
- Water - 3 glasses;
- Figs - 100 grams;
- Poppy - 100 grams of grains;
- Vegetable oil - a tablespoon;
- Roasted walnuts - 100 grams;
- Honey - 4 tablespoons.
- Dried fruits - 200 grams.
First you need to take the wheat, sort it out well, rinse it. To prepare kutya, it is best to take unpolished wheat, it turns out much tastier.
Before you boil it, you need to take and soak it overnight, pouring three glasses of water. In the morning, you need to rinse everything thoroughly again until clear water, put the grits in a saucepan with thick machines, and after that you need to fill it with water - three glasses, and boil until tender, adding a little salt. After the water boils, you need to reduce the heat, add oil, cover everything with a lid and cook for an hour and a half until the cereal becomes soft.
Poppy should be washed under running water, put in a bowl, pour boiling water at the rate of one part poppy to two parts of water, and leave everything to stand for one hour. After that, you need a poppy that has swollen well, put it on cheesecloth or a sieve and grind it with a blender into a gruel, from which something like white milk will ooze.
Pour boiling water over figs for 20 minutes, and then wash them, cut them into pieces the size of raisins. Next, you need to do the following - rinse the dried fruits, pour them with cold water and boil for 15 minutes. A decoction of dried fruits must be cooled. After that, you need to express the liquid and mix it with honey, pour it into kutya. Now the roasted nuts need to be cut into smaller pieces, some of them should be left for decoration. All you need to mix together with figs and poppy seeds, and then decorate and serve.
Kutya funeral recipe from rice with candied fruit
Kutia funeral rice is especially tasty if you add a sufficient amount of poppy seeds and nuts.
To do this, take the following products:
Walnuts - 50 grams;
Cashew - 50 grams;
Almonds - 50 grams;
Rice - one glass;
Candied fruits - 100 grams;
Sugar to taste.
In order to prepare such a kutya, you need to take rice, rinse it, then pour it with water in a ratio of 1: 2, and then boil it with a little salt until tender. If you are afraid that the rice will stick together, then you can add a small amount of vegetable oil. Now you need to cool the rice under the lid so that it does not dry out, but remains tender and soft, but at the same time keeps its shape. Next, you need to take the poppy, put it in a container, pour boiling water over it, and then insist for an hour. As it is infused, drain all the water, without residue, and after that you need to mix the poppy seeds with honey and candied fruits, rice. Almonds should also be poured with boiling water for 10 minutes, then peeled. Cashews and walnuts just need to be dried in a frying pan, and then put on kutya.
How to cook kutya for a commemoration in a slow cooker
If you have a slow cooker, then you can cook kutya in it. At least, unpolished cereals, which require a long heat treatment, she cooks in such a way that they differ little from cereals cooked in a cauldron or cast iron. Yes, and you won’t have to worry about the fact that the kutya will burn or it will be a mess - the multicooker will do most of the work for you. Therefore, if you have this kitchen assistant and you want to know how to cook kutya for a wake, try using this method.
To cook pearl barley kutya in a slow cooker, you will need to take the following ingredients:
- Pearl barley - 2 multi-cups;
- Water - 5-6 multi-glasses, depending on how cooked the grains are to your liking.
- After that, you need to take one teaspoon of sugar;
- Salt - one pinch;
- Almond nuts - 50-100 grams;
- Poppy - half a glass;
- Raisins - half a glass of quality raisins without a stone;
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons for more convenient grinding of poppy seeds.
Initially, you need to soak the cereal in the evening, after that you need to rinse it thoroughly, send it to the multicooker bowl and pour the right amount of water. Salt immediately, close the lid, and select the mode for cooking porridge - usually “rice” or “buckwheat”.
Cook until done. After that, you can get the porridge and transfer it to a regular saucepan, cover with a lid, and wait until the barley has cooled down.
Boil water. Pour poppy seeds with boiling water. Let it stand for one hour, then drain the water so that it does not remain in the poppy, add sugar, and then grind everything well. Raisins need to be soaked in warm water for half an hour, and then rinsed, sprinkled on a paper towel so that the water comes off and soaks into the paper. Nuts must be cleaned, then roasted. Kutya should be mixed with honey and poppy seeds, raisins and part of the nuts. After that, you need to decorate the funeral kutya with the remaining whole nuts.
How to cook kutya for a wake step by step video recipe
We have also prepared a video for you to fully understand the step-by-step cooking process.
Among the dishes of the Christian ritual of commemoration, kutya for a commemoration is of particular importance in Orthodoxy: this is the name of porridge - millet, pearl barley, barley, starting from the 20th century and still more often rice. It can be made with milk, you can add raisins, poppy seeds, walnut kernels, sweet jams, bird cherry and much more, depending on the place and traditions.
Kutya symbolizes the resurrection of the soul
Kutya is prepared from annually growing crops, and therefore embodies the resurrection of the soul and the cycle of life: after tasting kutya, you join the eternal course of life of this whirlwind. Moreover: even its elements are endowed with a separate meaning - pleasure (jam), sweet life (raisins, honey), fertility (nuts).
“Rich” and “poor” kutia
Kutya can be "rich" and "poor", i.e. its "poor" version is permissible to cook only from the main components.
Kutya for a wake - recipe
For different Orthodox peoples, the recipe for funeral kutya varies quite a lot, so do not be afraid to make a mistake when preparing it.
Rice kutya for a wake
Rice kutia for a wake: recipe (from rice with raisins)
- 500 g rice
- 200 g dried apricots / dried fruits
- 3 art. spoons of honey
- 200 g raisins
- 1 l. water for soaking food
- nuts (optional, quantity to taste)
How to cook kutya for a wake
Leave the rice in a pot of water overnight (you can soak the rice for a couple of hours during the day: soaked, the grains will give a nice crumbly porridge. Once the rice grains are soaked, cook as usual).
Before you finish cooking, add honey (after diluting it with water), raisins and dried fruits. Kutya is ready.
Consecrate kutya
Take the prepared kutya to the church and ask the priest to bless it.
Wake begins with kutia
According to the Orthodox rite of commemoration, it is from the kutya that the commemoration should begin. Each of those present in turn eats 2-3 spoons of kutia, thus symbolically confirming the joint participation in the memorial meal. Only after tasting the main dish of the funeral rite do they move on to the rest of the meal.
Website service - assistance in organizing a commemoration in Moscow
The city ritual service website has many years of experience in organizing memorial meals and selecting cafes and restaurants for them.
Organization of a wake in Moscow from Ritual.ru is a recommended list with a description of five hundred cafes and restaurants in Moscow and the Moscow region, where you can hold a wake with a 10% discount on the cost when ordering through Ritual.ru. We will advise on the intricacies of the funeral rite, the menu and the design of the memorial hall and develop a ceremony according to an individual scenario.
The basic principle of cooking kutia is a combination of boiled cereals (wheat, oats, rice, millet...) with poppy seeds and honey. Kutya is also seasoned with nuts, dried fruits, candied fruits, milk, sometimes even jam. Each component in kutia has a certain symbolic meaning.
Kutya recipes for Christmas. Twelve dishes for the Christmas table. On January 6, all Orthodox celebrate Holy Evening, an invariable attribute of which is a family dinner and kutya. The most important ritual dish with which the Christmas feast begins is kutya.
The basic principle of cooking kutia is a combination of boiled cereals (wheat, oats, rice, millet...) with poppy seeds and honey. Kutya is also seasoned with nuts, dried fruits, candied fruits, milk, sometimes even jam. Each component in kutya has a certain symbolic meaning: grain in kutya is a symbol of the Resurrection, honey is a symbol of well-being and a sweet life, poppy symbolizes prosperity in the family.
One of the most popular recipes is kutya, to which poppy milk (steamed and mashed poppy seeds), raisins, nuts and honey syrup are added.
Kutia from wheat and nuts
Ingredients:
200 g wheat,
100 g poppy,
50 g walnuts,
150 g honey
100 g cream
a pinch of salt.
Cooking:
Rinse the wheat and boil until fully cooked, 2.5-3 hours, then drain the water and cool.
Soak poppy seeds with boiling water for 30 minutes, then grind in a mortar or grind with a blender.
Dry the walnuts and grind.
Mix wheat, poppy seeds, nuts, add honey, salt and cream.
Serve chilled.
Wheat kutya with honey, raisins and nuts
Ingredients:
200 g wheat,
50 g raisins,
50 g walnuts,
100 g honey
salt to taste.
Cooking:
Rinse the wheat, soak in cold water for 3 hours, then rinse again and cook until tender for 2 hours.
At the end of cooking, add raisins to the porridge, salt and cook for 30 minutes, then discard in a colander.
Add honey, diluted with boiled water, and chopped walnuts to kutya.
Rice kutya with almonds and dried apricots
Ingredients:
150 g rice
100 g poppy,
100 g almonds
100 g dried apricots,
sugar to taste.
Cooking:
Rinse rice, bring to a boil, rinse with cold water. Then again pour the rice into the pan, add sugar and cook in plenty of water until fully cooked for 15-20 minutes. Throw in a colander and cool.
Scald almonds with boiling water, peel and grind with sugar and a small amount of boiled water.
Wash dried apricots, soak for 30 minutes in water and then chop.
Mix all the kutya ingredients.
Kutya from millet and dried fruits
Ingredients:
150 g millet,
100 g dried fruits,
50 g butter,
sugar to taste
a pinch of salt.
Cooking:
Pour crushed dried fruits with hot water and boil for 30-40 minutes.
Take out the fruits, and add water, sugar, salt, millet to the broth and cook porridge.
Cool kutya, add dried fruits and butter.
Wheat kutya with jam
Ingredients:
400 g wheat
100 g of berries or fruit from jam.
Cooking:
Rinse the wheat, boil until cooked for 2-3 hours, put in a colander, cool and mix with berries or fruits from jam.
If the kutia turned out to be cool, dilute it with a small amount of jam diluted with boiled water.
Rice kutya with cinnamon
Ingredients:
150 g rice
100 g raisins,
100 g sugar
20 g cinnamon.
Cooking:
Rinse rice, boil in plenty of water until tender, put in a colander and cool.
Wash raisins and steam for 30 minutes with boiling water.
Add raisins, sugar, cinnamon to kutya and mix.
Raw kutya with honey
Ingredients:
100 g wheat
30 g vegetable oil,
50 g honey.
Cooking:
Rinse the wheat well, then soak in boiling water, close tightly and leave overnight.
When the wheat swells, drain the water and season the kutya with honey and vegetable oil diluted in warm boiled water.
Kutya pea
Ingredients:
200 g wheat,
100 g peas
50 g vegetable oil,
salt to taste.
Cooking:
Pre-soak wheat and peas for 3 hours, then rinse, fill with water and cook until tender for 2.5-3 hours.
Salt kutya and add vegetable oil.
Kutya with almond milk
Ingredients:
400 g of a mixture of cereals (wheat, rice, oats),
200 g almonds
100 g raisins,
honey to taste
sugar to taste
a pinch of salt.
Cooking:
Rinse the beans and soak in cold water overnight.
Then rinse again, fill with water and cook until tender. Add sugar and salt. Cool down.
Crush the almonds in a mortar and carefully grind into a pulp, gradually adding warm boiled water. Then strain the almond milk through cheesecloth and squeeze. Add honey and stir.
Almond milk is not stored for a long time, so add it to kutya just before serving.
Kutya with marmalade
Ingredients:
200 g pearl barley,
100 g raisins,
100 g walnuts,
50 g sugar
100 g marmalade,
100 ml uzvar.
Cooking:
Rinse the grits, cover with water and boil until tender, 2 hours. About an hour after boiling, add washed raisins. Rinse the cooked porridge with cold water.
Chop the nuts.
Dissolve honey in a bowl.
Combine kutya, nuts, honey and chopped marmalade.
Twelve dishes for the Christmas table
Twelve dishes - a set of certain dishes is timed to coincide with the festive treats on the occasion of certain Christian holidays. The most famous are the twelve dishes for Christmas Eve. In the Christian tradition, dishes symbolize the twelve apostles.
Previously, food was closely associated with the spiritual life of people. Almost every holiday - both religious and, therefore, left over from pagan times - had its own set of dishes. Twelve dishes were obligatory on the Christmas table, including compote (dried fruit compote) and kutya (porridge from cereal grains), pancakes or dumplings for Shrovetide, eggs and Easter cakes for Easter, honey and apples for Spas, etc. There were many rituals and beliefs, food related. For example, millet porridge was boiled in a pot for christening. Then the scene of the sale of the pot was played out, and the one who contributed the most money for the christening has the right to break the pot. The guests considered it an honor to taste the ritual food and take a shard as a keepsake. This was done so that the child would grow up healthy and happy.
The main ritual dishes for Christmas Eve are kutya and uzvar. Other dishes can vary quite a lot, depending on the region and the state of the family. The main requirement is that the dishes should be lenten, since Christmas Eve falls on the last day of the Filippov fast.
Dishes prepared for Christmas Eve:
- Kutya
- Uzvar
- Pea pies
- Fried fish or jellied fish
- Lenten borscht (with mushrooms and prunes)
- Braised cabbage with mushrooms
- Cabbage rolls with rice and stewed carrots and parsnips or cabbage rolls with mushroom sauce and millet
- Millet porridge with mushroom seasoning in butter
- Salad of beetroot and peeled herring
- Salad of pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut and onions
- Bean pancakes
- Spicy condiment of crushed garlic, black pepper, green dill, tomato paste and oil
- Donuts
- Kalachi
- Stuffed beets
- Vegetables (carrots, beets, cabbage), apples, pears, plums (sometimes salted)
- Mushrooms
- Cakes with honey
- Christmas stars
- Lean dumplings with potatoes, beans or cabbage
- Potato songs
- Galambets
- Kraplyki to lean borscht
Delicious kutia and Merry Christmas!
The centuries-old Orthodox history amazes with an abundance of rituals and traditions. Many of them have been forgotten over time, have undergone changes. But there are also those that have been passed down from generation to generation and are firmly rooted in our everyday life. These include the custom of putting kutya on the table during the funeral meal.
Mentions of this dish are found long before the emergence of Christianity and are rooted in the times of pagan sacrifices. Since ancient times, the Slavic people believed in the immortality of the soul and, as a result, in the preservation of some human needs even after death, including food. Therefore, it was customary to cook porridge from wheat and leave it on the grave. Kutia owes its name to the Greek word “Koukki”, which means “grain”, and to the similar, but less sweet kolivo dish. Due to their similarity, they are often confused and even mistaken for the same thing, although the first records about koliva appeared in ancient times - the 5th-6th century AD and were found in the writings of the Byzantine Empire.
Today, kutya is a symbol of Christian faith in the existence of the kingdom of heaven, eternal life and resurrection. In memory of the dead, it is customary to perform merciful deeds and distribute alms, one of the varieties of which are memorial dinners. Such meals symbolize the gathering at one table of the disciples of Christ, who were waiting for his miraculous resurrection. In the early stages of the development of Orthodox culture, the entire community gathered at a common table as a sign of love for their neighbors. During such events, they certainly remembered those who were no longer in this world, which, as it were, emphasized the belonging of both the living and the dead to the same church. Over time, the organization of such meals became the concern of the relatives of the deceased. Products that were used to prepare funeral dinners were put into baskets and brought to the church for consecration during the service. This was done the previous evening, that is, the day before. This is where another popular name for kutia originates - the eve. There is also an opinion that "eve" comes from the Greek word meaning "basket".
The original kanun recipe included boiled wheat with raisins and honey, but poppy seeds were first added in the 16th century. The tradition of cooking this rice dish began sometime in the 19th century.
What does kutya symbolize
Every ingredient in this recipe has a hidden meaning. Eve is based on boiled or steamed grain, as a symbol of the resurrection from the dead. If you plant a grain in the ground, it will germinate, bearing fruit, but it will decay itself. By analogy, it also happens with the dead, who was buried according to Christian laws - he is resurrected for eternal life.
Another important component of the recipe is honey. Orthodox writings mention that it was Christ who ate it when, having risen, he appeared before his disciples. Since then, it has been customary to serve honey on the table as a symbol of the bliss of eternal life and spiritual peace in the Kingdom of Heaven, so that the soul of the deceased could enjoy the sweetness of heaven.
The raisins on the eve are reminiscent of Paradise fruits, which were intended for humans and were a symbol of health and eternal life. Fruit and honey uzvar (or kissel) was considered another traditional dish.
By the way, kutya is also cooked on some Orthodox holidays: Christmas, Kolyada and Epiphany, using various recipes. Moreover, it is believed that the thicker and “richer” the ingredients of the dish itself, the greater prosperity awaits the family in the new year.
How to properly serve and consume kanun
This dish is prepared in advance and taken with you to church for consecration during a memorial service or funeral service. In an exceptional case, you can independently sprinkle it with holy water by reading a prayer over it in front of the icons. A plate with kutya is placed in the middle of the table and the meal begins with it. At the beginning, relatives eat it, and then everyone else takes a spoonful of this dish, while remembering the deceased. It is also served on the ninth and fortieth day, six months and a year from the date of death. Use it cold.
It is believed that eve, like other food, at such dinners should only be eaten with spoons (or hands), although the Orthodox Church does not prohibit the use of forks and knives. The reason for this tradition goes back to the reign of Peter I, who introduced the custom of using forks. The common people were reluctant to accept such a reform and dubbed the cutlery a "demonic tail" that could destroy the soul of a Christian. Therefore, in order not to harm the deceased in the afterlife, only spoons were served at the wake.
Recipes and cooking technology
Rice began to be used in the recipe for this dish due to the fact that this cereal is cooked the fastest (not counting buckwheat, of course) and goes well in taste with all kinds of additives. To make the porridge crumbly and not stick together into a lump, it is best to take long-grain rice, and not round. You should also rinse it very well until the water is clean and clear. Honey for the recipe is better to take fresh, that is, liquid. If it has already crystallized, it must be dissolved in a water bath or microwave. In this form, it will be evenly distributed and better absorbed by rice.
Recipe for rice kutya with raisins
For cooking you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup steamed or regular rice;
- 3 tbsp. spoons of natural bee honey;
- 2 glasses of water;
- 200 gr. raisins;
- 100 gr. walnut kernels;
- a pinch of salt.
Rinse the rice thoroughly, cover with water and cook until fully cooked in a heavy-bottomed bowl. Salt a little while cooking. Ready rice can be washed with boiled chilled water. Transfer to a sieve and let excess water drain. Finely chop the nuts and fry them in a frying pan. Put the cereal on a plate, add nuts, honey and raisins, mix well. Decorate with dried fruits, canned cherries or nuts.
Recipe for kutya with candied fruits and nuts
You will need the following products:
50 grams of walnut kernels;
- 50 grams of cashews;
- 50 grams of peeled almonds;
- 50-100 grams of candied fruits;
- 50 grams of raisins;
- 50 grams of steamed poppy;
- 1 glass of rice;
- 2 glasses of water;
- honey or sugar to taste.
Thoroughly washed long-grain rice is poured with water in a ratio of 1: 2 and boiled until tender. If you add a little sunflower oil, the porridge will not stick together. Remove from heat and cool with the lid closed so that a rough crust does not form on the porridge. Finely chop the nuts, and cut the candied fruits into small cubes. Mix all the ingredients until smooth, put on a plate and decorate.
Kutya recipes are varied and change depending on the time and the set of traditional products. Each hostess prepares it according to her taste, adding certain components.
Most often, as you know, kutya is made from wheat. But today we decided to experiment a little and cooked it in four varieties of rice. This dish is more tender and light. Therefore, it is perfect especially for those who are on a diet.
Rice kutia with raisins for Christmas
It will take 40 minutes to prepare.
How many calories - 361.
How to cook:
Rice kutia with nuts and dried fruits
It will take 35 minutes to prepare.
How many calories - 307.
How to cook:
How to cook in a slow cooker
It will take 1 hour and 20 minutes to prepare.
How many calories - 221.
How to cook:
- Wash rice until clear water.
- Pour it into a slow cooker, pour the required amount of water, add salt.
- Cook it until cooked in the appropriate mode.
- During this time, roast, cool and chop the nuts.
- Sort the dried fruits, then pour boiling water over them and let them brew.
- After that, drain the broth, rinse and dry the raisins, dried apricots and prunes again.
- Poppy is also pre-prepared for kutya. Pour it into a small container.
- Pour boiling water and cover, do not touch for a whole hour.
- When the time has passed, drain the remaining water (if any).
- Blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Now poppy can be combined with ready-made rice, dried fruits, nuts.
- Add sugar and honey to taste, mix everything and serve.
How to cook kutya with rice in a slow cooker, see the video below:
Bright Christmas porridge with candied fruit
It will take 35 minutes to cook.
How many calories - 353.
How to cook:
- Sort the raisins and rinse under cold water.
- Pour it into a saucepan, fill with water and put on the stove.
- Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, cover with a lid.
- After a quarter of an hour, drain everything in a colander and rinse again, dry.
- At the end, dried fruits can be chopped, if necessary.
- Place the honey in a saucepan and put it on the stove, let it dissolve. It is very important to be careful here and not let it boil.
- Chop candied fruit a little with a sharp knife.
- Roast the nuts until golden brown and chop.
- Rinse rice, then boil until fully cooked and cool.
- When ready, mix it with all the ingredients and serve.
In all variants of kutya, we pre-steamed dried fruits. It is not necessary to do this at all if you, for example, do not have time. But it is precisely because of the “steaming” that raisins, prunes, dried apricots and dogwoods turn out to be more tender, soft, and therefore more juicy.
Honey is most often used as a sweet ingredient for kutya, and then sugar. To make porridge special, use unusual types of this bee product. For example, you can take from avocados, snowdrops, blueberries and others.
Probably, now we will surprise you, but there is another original way to make the dish sweet. You will need the most common colored sucking candies. They must be poured with warm or almost hot water and let them brew a little. After that, extract the candy and use sweet water instead of honey. It turns out unusual!
How to cook kutya from rice, see the video recipe:
Rice kutia is something completely new and somewhere even modern. Definitely give it a try if you've never eaten it before. This is not at all what is obtained from wheat. There is a new taste, and aroma, and appearance. You'll like it!
