Кутя — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A sacred Christmas dish of tender wheat berries mixed with poppy seed paste, honey, and walnuts — the first food tasted on Christmas Eve.

Ingredients

2 cups wheat berries
1 cup poppy seeds
0.5 cup honey
0.5 cup walnuts, chopped
0.5 cup raisins
water for soaking and cooking

Instructions

1 Soak wheat berries overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
2 Cook wheat berries in fresh water for 2-3 hours on low heat until tender but still chewy. Drain.
3 Soak poppy seeds in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and grind to a paste in a mortar or food processor.
4 Mix wheat berries with ground poppy seeds, honey, chopped walnuts, and raisins.
5 Let stand for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld.
6 Serve at room temperature as the first dish of Christmas Eve supper.

Did You Know?

Kutia is the first food tasted on Christmas Eve — the family patriarch throws a spoonful at the ceiling, and if it sticks, it foretells a good harvest.