Rich kutya for Christmas and baptism.

Kutya is a traditional Christmas food served on Christmas Eve, the eve of the great Christian holiday. Christmas kutya is different, it can be prepared from wheat, rice or barley. Whatever the festive table at Christmas - rich or modest, a dish consisting of grain porridge with poppy milk and honey has long served as its invariable decoration. Those who follow Christmas traditions know that kutya is one of the symbols of the Nativity of Christ.
On the evening of January 6, after the appearance of the first star in the sky, the grandchildren carried Christmas kutya to their grandparents, and the godchildren to their godparents. At the same time, they necessarily sang "shedrivki", in which they wished the owners health, goodness, a good harvest and prosperity.

The history of the emergence of kutya

The word "kutya" itself is translated from Greek as "boiled wheat", and this dish was connected, just like in Russia, with the cult of worship of the dead in Ancient Greece and Rome. Therefore, it turns out that Kutia got into Christian history from ancient pagan cults.

There are a lot of different names, methods of preparation and varieties of kutya. There are many names for this ritual porridge: Kolivo, Eve, Sochivo, Syt.

Kutya has always been considered obligatory dish and even an attribute of a commemoration, but also kutya is prepared on New Year's Eve (according to the old style), on Christmas Eve, on Epiphany and other Orthodox holidays.

Depending on the holiday, there are 3 types of kutya

rich kutya(lean kutya with different ingredients, which is prepared on Christmas Eve);

· generous kutia(before the New Year, a quick dish with the addition of
butter, cream or milk);

hungry kutya(on Epiphany, a dish that mainly consists
from grain base and sweetener).

The obligatory ingredients of kutya are grain, poppy and honey.

On holy evening they did not sit down at the table “until the first star”, and lunch was often combined with dinner. The main dishes on the Christmas table were kutya and uzvar. They prepared kutya - from wheat and barley - the groats were ground in a mortar so that the grains did not knead, but only peeled off their husks. They usually ate kutya with honey syrup or sugar water.

Corn symbolizes fertility, constancy and the cycle of life, that is, the actual immortality or rebirth of the soul.

Honey symbolizes the sweetness, pleasure and blessings of eternal life.

Poppy- a symbol of prosperity and fertility. Concerning Christmas kutia,
then in the old days it was believed that the richer (that is, tastier and more satisfying) kutya, the better the harvest and the higher the prosperity in the family.

A Christmas feast is unthinkable without a knot. At the holy evening they cooked an uzvar from dried fruits and berries, adding sugar, honey and raisins. Compared to compote, the uzvar turned out to be thicker and sweeter. Sometimes uzvar was boiled with rice, sometimes beer or wine was added.

Kutya and uzvar were always cooked in new and beautiful pots. Each time they noticed: if the kutia “creeped out of the pot”, then a rich harvest should have been expected. Taking out a pot of porridge from the stove, the grandfather lightly fiddled with the kids by the forelock so that the chickens were crested. Before putting the kutya on the table, the owner raised the pot of porridge over his head and uttered the following words: “God forbid that the barley be awned and spiky!”
After that, he collected a little kutya in a spoon and threw it up to the ceiling. If the porridge sticks to the ceiling, then the bees will swarm.

Dinner began with uzvar, then we tried kutya. And, finally, proceeded to other dishes. On the table were bowls of pies stuffed with cabbage, peas, beans, pears, and viburnum. The pies were anointed with vegetable oil and doused with honey.
Borscht was served with fresh or salted fish, fried fish,
as well as bread with garlic - a symbol of family wealth and prosperity.

Christmas kutia

The Christmas meal begins with kutya on Christmas Eve (January 6) and ends with a spoon of this dish, exchanging wishes and remembering deceased ancestors. On Christmas Eve, lenten kutya is prepared, because. The Advent fast continues until the holiday itself.

Traditions of cooking kutya

Since ancient times, it has been customary to cook kutya from grains of wheat, barley and pearl barley. But today, more and more often you can find kutya made from rice, although this is a departure from tradition.

Traditional kutya is cooked from wheat, which is usually first pounded in a mortar with the addition of water and separated from the chaff. After the wheat was cooked in the oven for several hours, until the moment when it should have been well boiled, become soft and acquire a slightly whitish hue.

It was also customary to serve Christmas kutya lean milk from poppy seeds, walnuts or hazelnuts, or from a mixture thereof. To prepare nut and poppy milk, you need to steam the poppy seeds and pour over the nuts with boiling water, then grind them in a mortar, scroll in a meat grinder, grind until a white liquid is released.

The traditional Christmas kutya is seasoned liquid honey or honey dressing with satiety - for it, honey must be dissolved in boiled warm (but by no means boiling!) Water. It is also customary to add a variety of dried fruits, steamed and chopped, steamed poppy seeds and nuts to kutia.

Previously, our ancestors believed that the tastier on Christmas kutya,
all the more successful coming year.

What is needed to prepare kutya?

Ingredients:- 200 grams of wheat;
- 200 grams of dried fruits (cherries, pears, dried apricots, apples, prunes and others);
- one hundred grams of roasted walnuts, raisins and poppy seeds;
- five glasses of water;
- four tablespoons of honey;
Christmas kutya - a pinch of salt;
- a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

How to cook a dish?

Wheat on kutya should be sorted out and washed. It is better to use polished
especially since closer to Christmas, you can often see wheat specially “for kutya” on store shelves.

If the wheat will be used not polished, then it can be soaked overnight. To cook porridge, pour everything with three glasses of water, sprinkle with salt, pour in a tablespoon of vegetable oil and cook in a thick saucepan until the porridge is ready.

Pour poppy seeds with boiling water for an hour, after that, to drain the liquid, we recline it on a sieve. We grind this poppy with sugar in a coffee grinder or mortar until a white “milk” appears. Pour raisins for twenty minutes, drain the water.

We cook saturated compote from washed dried fruits. Add honey to the still warm decoction drained from the fruit. We spread the wheat in a bowl, let it cool, add poppy seeds, dried fruits, nuts and raisins chopped from compote to the porridge. Pour porridge with honey compote and mix everything. When serving, garnish with fruit.

Enjoy your meal!

Kutya for Christmas from rice

Ingredients: rice 200 g, poppy seeds 100 g, walnuts 50 g
raisins 50 g, honey 100 g, pinch of salt
boiled water 200 ml

Cooking: Poppy pour boiling water and leave for an hour. Then drain the liquid and grind the poppy seeds in a mortar. Wash the raisins and pour boiling water for half an hour. Dry the nuts and finely chop. Boil the rice in salted water, drain the liquid.
Mix rice, raisins, nuts, honey, salt to taste. Dilute with uzvar or boiled water. Serve immediately.

Enjoy your meal!

Christmas is a mysterious and magical time for the Orthodox. On this bright night, the heavens open and prayers are heard. This evening, even the food is fabulous. In many parts of the world, their own gastronomic passions are born for the Holy Evening. The British, for example, prepare a miracle cake, in Italy they bake fish and cook pasta, and in Germany they cook adits. 12 apostles - 12 dishes! And what is Christmas without wheat or rice-poppy porridge?! Be sure to cook, because since ancient times there has been a tradition: the more grains - the health and luck are stronger.

Kutia is a traditional Christmas dish. The kutya recipe for Christmas should contain 3 ingredients: honey, wheat and poppy seeds. In ancient times, kutya was fed to people who wanted to convert to Christianity on Christmas and observed fasting before the sacrament. After Baptism, they were treated to honey, which symbolized the sweetness of spiritual gifts.

Today, Christmas kutia recipes include raisins and walnuts, chocolate, and dried fruits. How to cook kutya, read the recipes below.

Christmas kutya with rice

Ideal for cooking kutya for Christmas rice. Kutya is prepared quickly and can replace lunch or dinner. Dried fruits can be added to the rice kutya recipe for Christmas.

Ingredients:

• a cup of long rice;
• 2 cups of water;
• one cup of dried apricots and raisins;
• 1 tea l. honey.

Cooking:

1. Rinse dried fruits and rice cereals well.
2. Boil the rice until cooked in water, salt a little.
3. Finely chop the dried apricots and add with raisins to the cooked rice.
4. Stir the kutya slowly and thoroughly so that it does not turn into porridge.

Kutya - very healthy dish which can be given to children. In combination with dried fruits, they will certainly like the dish.

Christmas kutya from wheat

Millet kutya can be prepared with the addition of nuts and. It turns out very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of wheat;
• honey - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• 3 glasses of water;
• vegetable oil - a tablespoon;
• 100 g raisins;
• a pinch of salt;
• 125 g poppy;
• 100 g walnuts.

Kutya is a porridge cooked from whole wheat grains (sometimes it can be barley, pearl barley, oats, rice or even peas) and seasoned with honey, poppy seeds, raisins or nuts.

The very word kutya (in Belarusian we say kutsya or kutsya) comes from the Greek word kokkos - grain and is associated with another Orthodox dish called kolivo. Both dishes are very similar to each other (kolivo is less sweet) and often their names are confused or mixed.

The tradition of cooking kutya originates long before the advent of Christianity among the Slavic peoples. Kutia, according to most researchers, is an ancient pagan dish and is associated with rituals such as funerals and sacrifices. Since it was believed that the deceased retains ordinary human needs, including the need for food, the ancient Slavs cooked wheat porridge for the deceased and left it on the grave.

Kolivo also traces its history back to ancient times: the first mention of it was found in manuscripts from the time of the Byzantine Empire and dates back to the 5th-6th centuries AD. e.

At present, the funeral kutya
consecrated in the church

Symbolism and traditions of the funeral kutya

Like any other a traditional dish, kutia carries a certain meaning - first of all, thanks to the ingredients included in it. Grain - steamed or boiled - meant resurrection from the dead. After it hits the ground and sprouts, a new life. The very same grain decays. Something like this happens with the body of the deceased.

Honey and raisins were considered by our ancestors not only as symbols of health and prosperity. They symbolized the sweetness of the bliss of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, the two simple ingredients of kutya meant immortality, resurrection and the bliss of eternal life.

We also mentioned health and wealth. Why is that? The fact is that both funeral kutya and Christmas kutya were being prepared. The latter was served on the table three times - at Kolyada, Christmas and Epiphany. Accordingly, poor (lean) kutya was prepared, then rich (generous) and hungry (water). The thicker the porridge turned out, the richer and friendlier the family should have lived next year.

But back to how kutya is prepared and served at a wake. She is always the first dish on the table and should be consecrated in the church after the funeral of the deceased or a memorial service. You can also sprinkle kutya with holy water yourself before serving it on memorial table. After kutya, the guests were offered Lenten funeral pancakes and honey jelly.

According to custom, kutia always ate specially baked bread, which was broken by hand. It was strictly forbidden to cut such bread with a knife.

It is interesting that such a custom existed and is still practiced in Belarus: having celebrated Remembrance Day or Dzyady, it is customary to hang a towel out of the window and put a plate with kutya or kolevo and pancakes on it. It is believed that this will please the spirits of our deceased ancestors.

What is the benefit of a funeral kutya

Kutya is not only very tasty, but also a healthy dish. Its basis is wheat grains rich in carbohydrates and containing mass useful substances. These are B vitamins, which strengthen the nervous system, and fiber, which is necessary to remove toxins from the body and prevent the conversion of carbohydrates into fat.

Honey is known for its bactericidal, antiviral and antifungal properties. It gives strength, increases efficiency and increases vitality.

Walnuts contain iodine and help fight thyroid disorders.

Raisins are important for the presence of potassium, which has a positive effect on the work of the heart and kidneys, strengthens the nervous system and acts as a good sedative.

Maca improves digestion and is a source of carbohydrates and beneficial unsaturated fatty acids.

Kutya ingredients, especially its dressings
tasty, healthy and nutritious

Kutya recipe

Prepare memorial kutya optional - you can make an appropriate order in the dining room or cafe for a commemoration and sprinkle it yourself with water consecrated in the church. If you want to do everything yourself, the recipe for making kutya is simple. First of all, you need to prepare the basis:

1. Groats with a small amount of water must be crushed in a mortar to separate the nutritious part from the seed and fruit shell.
2. Soak the resulting slurry in water for several hours (preferably overnight)
3. Boil the grains until soft - in water (lean kutya) or milk. For cooking, it is advisable to use a pan with a thick bottom.

Then we move on to the gas station. It is made from grated poppy seeds or nuts. You will again need a mortar. Grind poppy seeds or nuts in it until a white liquid appears. Complete the dressing with pre-soaked raisins or dried fruits, candied fruits or marmalade.

And here is how rice kutya is prepared:

1. Take a glass of rice, rinse it thoroughly and boil it in two glasses of water until crumbly.
2. Lightly salt the porridge and add a little sugar to it.
3. Soak 50 grams of raisins in hot water for 10-12 minutes. Drain the water and combine the raisins with the porridge.
4. Put the treat in the form of a slide on a wide plate and decorate it with pieces of marmalade.

with poppy seeds and walnuts

If the kutya is too thick, it can be diluted warm water or compote. You can diversify dressing and decoration with pieces of dried apricots, prunes, candied fruits and fresh fruits. Dishes are perfectly complemented by other nuts (hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts).

Traditionally, on January 6, godchildren wear their godparents a supper - kutya. This is one of the Christmas traditions that have been revered by Christians since ancient times. Thus, mercy is emphasized, which enjoins Christians to help their neighbor.

The feast of the Nativity of Christ has a special meaning for people professing the Christian faith. It is customary to celebrate it “richly” and the housewives know that there should be 12 dishes on the table. In addition, there are other traditions and rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.

Kutia at Christmas when they wear what they say what to cook: the history of this holiday and rituals dedicated to the Nativity of Christ

Quite a long time ago, when our ancestors worshiped various deities, on this day they had the Korochuna holiday. On this day, they greeted the sun, asked the gods for a good harvest next year, livestock and health. People believed that during this period they were all endowed with miraculous power, therefore, this holiday was always expected with special trepidation. The advent of Christianity endowed long-standing traditions with new content, Christian ideals, the ideas of truth, love, forgiveness of the Word, generosity, perfection.

According to the Holy Scriptures, the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. At that moment, when the baby was born, a star lit up in the sky, which showed the Magi the way to him. Having walked in the indicated direction, they found a barn in which the Virgin Mary was with Jesus Christ in her arms.

Christmas itself is celebrated on January 7, but on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), it is customary for the whole family to gather at the festive table. The meal is started after the ascent of the first star in the sky.

The Nativity of Christ is a holiday that carries goodness and faith in a bright future, it fills the souls of every person with the brightest colors.

Kutya at Christmas when they wear, what they say, what to cook: when they bring supper to godparents

They carry the supper to their godparents on Christmas Eve. At the same time, it is customary to pronounce the following words: “Good evening, Holy Evening! Father and mother betrayed you the supper. Traditionally, godparents receive their godchildren and give gifts.

Kutya for Christmas when they wear what they say what to cook: what to cook on the festive table, kutya recipes

Christmas is preceded by a 40-day fast. Also, the festive dinner should consist of lenten dishes, which should be at least twelve. This number symbolizes the number of Christ's Apostles.

Traditionally, pies are prepared with different fillings, uzvar, lean cabbage rolls, fish meals and necessarily kutya (it is also called kolyvo, eve, sochivo). Each housewife has her own special recipe for preparing the main holiday dish with which the meal should begin. Below are the most original recipes which anyone can easily use.

Rice kutya with almonds and dried apricots. For cooking rice kutya you must first boil the rice by adding a pinch of salt to the water. Add chopped poppy seeds, almond crumbs and finely chopped dried apricots to the finished rice. Season everything with honey or sugar to taste.

Kutya with marmalade. Pearl barley pre-rinse and boil for 1.5-2 hours. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add raisins. After that, chopped nuts, honey and uzvar are added to the finished porridge. Sprinkle with marmalade before serving.

Kutya from wheat. Wheat must be washed, soaked in cold water for 3 hours, then rinse again and boil until tender for two hours. Then you need to add raisins to the porridge, salt and cook for another 30 minutes, then discard in a colander. Honey and walnuts are added to kutya.

Kutya - what is it? You will find the answer to the question asked in the article. We will also tell you how to prepare this dish, and on what occasions it is served at the table.

general information

Kutia is a memorial, as well as a ritual christmas dish Slavs, which is especially common in the eastern and southern regions of our country. So what is this lunch? Kutya is a porridge made from whole grains of wheat. Although it is often made from barley, as well as other cereals, including rice.

Before serving, the dish must be poured with honey, honey or sugar, and poppy seeds, large raisins, nuts, milk and even jam are added.

Kutya is a ritual Christian dish. In the Orthodox Church, there is a custom to use it on Friday of the first week of Great Lent. It is on this day that the martyr is remembered

Traditions

The name of the presented dish is of Greek origin. This word was used as a designation for boiled wheat, which commemorated dead ancestors. Together with the Christian traditions and religion of Byzantium, the custom of cooking kutya very soon took root in our country.

Among the Poles and Eastern Slavs, kutya with raisins is always present on the Christmas table. In addition, it is often done at Baptism. Thus, the eve holidays themselves began to be called as follows: Kutya, Rich kutya, Poor kutya, Hungry, Water, and so on. By the way, among Russian people, Christmas Eve is also called a caterer.

Remembrance

As mentioned above, Christmas kutya is prepared on a great day. However, among the Eastern Slavs, this dish is usually served not only to festive table but also at commemorations or funerals. First, guests should taste kutya, and then pancakes, jelly with honey and scrambled eggs.

According to tradition, on the night after Dmitriev's grandfathers, Belarusians hang a towel from the window, and put pancakes and kutya for the dead on the windowsill.

Kutya for Christmas: recipes for step-by-step cooking of a delicious and healthy dish

If you want to attract good luck and success to yourself in the new year, as well as protect loved ones from troubles and misfortunes, then you should definitely put kutya on the Christmas table. It's fairly easy to make and doesn't require any special ingredients.

So, to make kutia tasty and satisfying for Christmas, we need the following ingredients:

• wheat (for sprouting or polished) - a full glass;
• cold water for drinking - two or three glasses;
• table salt - an average pinch;
• sugar - a couple of teaspoons;
• vegetable oil without aroma - a tablespoon;
• poppy seeds - 120 g;
• large raisins - about 100 g;
• roasted walnuts - about 100 g;
• any fresh honey - four large spoons;
• dried fruits for uzvar - about 200 g (pears, dried apricots, prunes, apples, cherries, etc.);
• water for the uzvar - two glasses.

We process wheat

Kutya for Christmas will serve as an excellent meatless dish, which can be enjoyed by all invited guests. But for this it must be properly prepared.

First you need to thoroughly sort out the wheat, removing all debris and possible pebbles from it. After that, the product must be thoroughly rinsed in a sieve, pour plain water and leave to swell for several hours or even overnight. If you decide to use polished wheat for cooking kutia, then you should not soak it, because it cooks quite quickly.

Preparing the rest of the ingredients

To make Christmas kutya especially tasty, you should definitely add poppy seeds and dried fruits to it. For this, the grain must be poured with boiling water and left to swell for 60 minutes. Next, they need to be thrown into a multilayer gauze and wait until all the liquid has drained. After that, the swollen poppy should be ground together with sugar in a coffee grinder, mortar or using a blender. At the same time, white milk should appear in the dishes.

As for raisins, they must be washed, kept in boiling water for twenty minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly.

Cooking uzvar

Kutya for Christmas, whose recipes include a minimum of ingredients, should be seasoned not only with fresh honey, but also with rich dried fruit compote. To prepare the uzvar, dried fruits must be thoroughly washed and poured with clean water. After that, the ingredients must be brought to a boil and cook over low heat for about ten minutes.

When the uzvar is ready, it should be filtered through a sieve and mixed with honey. At the same time, it is not recommended to throw away dried fruits. They can be additionally put in porridge or consumed separately.

Heat treatment of wheat

Before you cook kutya, you should boil the swollen wheat. It must be filled with water again, and then add a pinch of salt and vegetable oil no fragrance. In this composition, the ingredients need to be cooked until soft in a thick-walled saucepan (cast iron cookware is best).

If you purchased ordinary wheat for sprouting, then it is advisable to cook it for two hours. To do this, you will need about three glasses of water. If you decide to use a polished product, then it will be ready for use in twenty minutes. It should be boiled with two glasses of water.

We form a dish

How to cook kutya for the festive table? To do this, boiled wheat must be discarded on a sieve and cool slightly. Next, you need to put it in a deep bowl and add grated poppy seeds. It is also necessary to put chopped and lightly roasted walnuts, steamed raisins and chopped dried fruits from the uzvar in a bowl. By the way, the last product should be added at will (you can use the whole, or you can use any part).

After all the ingredients are placed in a common container, they need to be poured with honey and mixed well. On this, the process of preparing Christmas kutya is considered complete.

How should a delicacy be served at the festive table?

After all the products are mixed and filled with a knot, the Christian dish should be laid out in a deep plate, and decorated with candied fruits and pieces of nuts on top.

In the event that you cooked kutya using unpolished wheat, which is cooked for a long time, it is recommended to season it with honey immediately before serving. Otherwise, the cereal will become hard and tasteless.

Summing up

Now you know what kutya is, in what cases it is served at the table, and how it should be cooked at home. I would also like to note that the dish made according to the above recipe is very tasty and nutritious. It is enjoyed by both adults and children. If you do not like the taste of wheat, then kutya can be made from rice or barley.