Kutia

Kutia is the main traditional dish for Christmas in Ukraine. It is made of different grains, and every grain has its own symbolism. 

Kutia was put on the icon corner, in front of religious icons, and dinner started with its tasting.

The icon corner is the most sacred and honorable place in a Ukrainian peasant’s house. There was a table where all family festive meals took place. 

My grand-grandmother, and then my grandmother made Kutia and Uzvar (a beverage from boiled smoke-dried frut – plums, apples, pears, berries) in pots in a wood oven. In the evening, a pot with Kutia was placed on the table with hay, and then on the icon corner. In a bowl, Kutia was mixed with Uzvar and it was the main Christmas supper dish. 

It’s hard to call such Kutia “rich”, as in other Ukrainian regions, Kutia contains far more ingredients. But here the important thing is that despite famine, and all the USSR occupational terrors and poverty, they kept this tradition. 

In my childhood, we, as children, did not eat Kutia, but I will forever remember the moment when it was taken from the oven. When my grandma told stories, and the feeling of joy and festivity. 

Traditions are our connection with the past and the way to the future, it is important to keep them. 

To cook Kutia I used bulgur. Bulgur is already boiled, dried, and chopped wheat. The main advantage of using this groats is the minimal cooking time and soft texture of the cooked Kutia.