Kutya

Kutya is a ritual dish that begins the Christmas Eve dinner and season and an integral part of Svyata Vechera.  Although the true meaning of Kutya is unknown, folklore scholars believed that the originally Kutya was part of ancient religion and ritual offering to the Sun God.

There is also a popular legend about the Kutya.  While Joseph and Mary where fleeing Egypt, they passed a farmer sowing wheat.  On the same day, the soldiers pursing the couple, asked the farmer who told them truthfully he had seen them when he was sowing the wheat.  The soldiers gave up the pursuit as by miracle the wheat was full grown! Because of this legend, Kutya is served on Christmas Eve. 

My brother as a hobby farmer is organic and has just started selling his organic wheat to Tall Grasses at the Forks .. Check out the Christmas specials at Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company

Here is the recipe he sent me. 

KUTIA    КУТЯ

            2  c. Wheat chopped walnuts

  6  c. Water  honey

  1   c. Poppy Seed pinch of salt

Pick out any foreign bodies from the wheat.  Wash the wheat. Place wheat in a large container. Add 6 cups of water. Soak overnight. Do not drain water! Bring the wheat to boil and skim. Turn to low heat, cover and simmer  (until kernels burst open). Stir occasionally while wheat is cooking. 

Wash the poppy seeds. Drain the water. Scald and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Grind the poppy seeds using the finest blade on a food processor. Add the poppy seeds to the wheat; add sugar and honey to taste. Before serving add chopped nuts.  Enjoy 

Home of Halychanka Wheat, Zee valley Organic farm

When I make the Kutya, I follow how I saw my Mom prepare this dish. I remember my Mom cleaning the wheat by filling a bowl with water and picking out out the husks that floated to the top.  The wheat was then soaked in clean water overnight and again new water was added to cook the wheat, first brought to boil and then let simmer until the kernels are soft.  Check the water levels often so the wheat doesn't dry out.  The cooking time varies as to the wheat variety.  It can take most of the day or a couple of hours. The poppy seed is added half way through the cooking process.
When the wheat is cooked, add honey to taste!

I like the Kutya served warm, some do serve it cold!

Canadian Ukrainian Christmas Eve, Sviaty Vechir

Our annual trip to Northern Manitoba was delayed until Jan 5th as temperatures once again had dipped to minus 25 after New Years.  

You know it is cold when the icy cold weather has the appearance of 'Sundogs".  I really enjoyed the spectacular halo effect around the sun.

Sundogs are bright spots of light on either side of the sun caused by ice crystals, which act as tiny prisms bending light from the sun

.

What you are seeing is a reflection of sunlight off the ice crystals in the clouds.  

After opening gifts at my brother's, we left for my Aunt's place in another small rural village. 

When we got there, my aunt and her sister were busy pan frying seasoned Manitoba Pickerel.  

I always learn something new, every time I help out during this preparation for Christmas Eve dinner.
For example, my aunt pre cooks the pyrohy before freezing them.  To prepare them for the meal, she once again heats the frozen pyrohy in boiling water until they are hot again.  Once again they are tossed in butter and served hot.

Nalysnyky Ukrainian crepes were also made before hand with homemade cottage cheese and frozen. They were placed in a roasting pan, drizzled with heavy creme and heated until hot.   According to my aunt, you need to be generous with the heavy creme for this delicacy to be delicious!

Mushrooms in a dill creme sauce.  Fresh dill from the garden had been frozen in the summer for this dish.  Aunty was most disappointed that she did not have wild mushrooms such as honey mushrooms (Pedipanky).

Aunty had two types of Cabbage Rolls, sweet and sour Kraut ones.  Again they were in a roasting pan being heated for the meal.

Each Ukrainian Christmas Eve meal starts with a prayer, carol and Kutcha.  Kutcha is a ritual dish make of wheat berries that have simmered in water all day with poppyseed and lastly sweeten with honey before serving. 

My Aunt in spite of not feeling well and  her legs hurting badly, continued with this feast.  It was most important for her to prepare these labor intensive dishes and host the meal for her family on January the 6th.  

The Prayer, Our Father starts the meal!

This made me reflect how important this meal was to my grandparents who hosted this annually and all their children would come in spite of the harsh winter weather.  My Mom continued to do the same even after my father's death.   There was always such great joy and happiness as we all assembled for the meal in her home.  The meal was always the same, yet full of excitement, expectations and tradition.   Gentle teasing of my Mom when the Kutcha was served that we should toss the wheat to see if it would stick on the ceiling.  The belief being that if it stuck to the ceiling, it was a sign that harvest would be plentiful.

The symbolism of this Holy meal include Kolach( Christmas Bread) that is braided into a ring, with three rings or loaves placed on top of another to symbolize the Holy Trinity.  A Didukh, a sheaf of wheat symbolizes the family ancestors.  Twelve dishes are prepared for this meal which represent the twelve apostles.  In Pre-Christian Pagan times, the twelve dishes represented a full moon that took place during the year.  

 The traditional dishes that were served are all meatless and not necessarily dairy free.  My grandmother did not use dairy in this meal at all, while my Mom did use dairy in her dishes.  Yes, there are those that still maintain this with meatless and dairy less dishes and believe that this is the only correct way.  Having grown up with both traditions, I do prepare dishes with dairy.  I believe that maintaining and sharing the symbolism of this meal with ones' family is more important that worry about whether the meal should also be dairy less.

With great disappointment, mass was cancelled in Keld due to cold weather.  When they checked the temperature of the wooden church in the afternoon of Jan 6th, it was still minus 25.  

Canadian Ukrainian Christmas Tradition.. Rural style

Ritual Dish

Imagine days of celebrations focusing around family and food, along with singing Christmas carols after the Christmas meals, while waiting for midnight mass!  Imagine days of food not being pared with wines, in fact no wine glasses on the table!  Imagine not having to stress about gifts!  As no Santa existed!  Unbelievable!!  

Yes, there was a St Nicholas that came after  the children's Christmas concert!   A scary parishioner dressed in a moth eaten beard symbolizing someone with acts of kindness to the poor, especially the children.  One who used his inheritance  to help others especially to save children from sexual slavery.  He was also known to give gifts and to sometimes hang stockings filled with treats and gifts.  

Angels bring in St Nicholas

St Nicholas giving out bags of candy and oranges to the children!

St Nicholas Concert

St Nicholas Concert

St Nicholas Concert

After Christmas Eve dinner, midnight mass including everyone and all the children attending!  No one stressing that a change in ones' schedule may be of concern!  There where no excuses to not attend, it was part of the whole Christmas package and no one complained.  As a child, I remember how awesome this was!  Something so wonderfully waking up and hearing Christmas Carols and seeing the peaceful look on the faces of my parents'.  

Not everyone is ready to put up the Christmas Stocking after Midnight Mass! 

My first memory of Christmas, was the annual gathering of my Mom's siblings at my Grandparent's home for Christmas Eve.  All of my Grandparents' children attended, some had to drive a fair distance in Manitoba winter conditions, but they always came through.  

A spruce tree decorated with white candles was only lit during this special evening meal.

As a child, it was a highlight to to play in my grandparents house with my cousins who were all close in age.  Since the house was lit with kerosene lamps, many of the rooms were dark and an awesome place to play hide and seek!

The twelve course meatless and dairy less meal  started with Kutya, followed by Borcht with dumplings, Pickled Herring, Wild Mushroom, variety of Pyrohy, Cabbage rolls, Fish Aspic made from pickerel or white fish, Fruit Compote.  Mandarin oranges, nuts and candies were passed around as everyone sang Christmas Carols.  Gifts were passed around that my grandmother had ordered with care from the Eaton's catalogues.  

Church Christmas Dinner, 2013

Another special memory was of a rural picturesque Christmas when our family drove to my Dad's brother's place in Saskatchewan.  Not all of rural Saskatchewan was electrified at the same time due to the different payment scheduling from the Saskatchewan government.  As a teenager, it was quite the experience to see the flickering light of an open flame in the Kerosene lamps and the resulting glow in the room and on the faces.  Again, the meal started with Kutya followed by  meatless dishes.  Just as the meal was finishing, one could hear Sleigh Bells ringing as a horse drawn open sleigh came to view with carollers covered in the soft falling snow. 

Yes, I continue the tradition of preparing the twelve dishes for Christmas Eve dinner for my family.  Why, because there is such a connection to my past and a resulting sense of Christmas spirit in doing this.  As the first star appears, I think of my Dad coming in from the barn with that great broad smile of his, saying all the animals had been feed and that we could now leave for Grandma's for the Christmas Eve dinner. 

For  the last few years, my husband and I have been returning to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas in rural Manitoba.  There is something magical in returning to the country to spend this time with family and friends.  For me, it is a spiritual renewal and a reconnection to the past and present.  The local radio station continues to plays Christmas Carols throughout the whole time, with Christmas greetings from the local merchants for those celebrating this Christmas. 

2013-Horse drawn sleigh full of carollers

My aunt who is ninety- two this year, continues to prepare the meal with her sister and daughter in law in the party room of their seniors' complex.  It has been wonderful to be part of her family and to experience how they time manage this elaborate and delicious meal!  Only after having prepared this meal myself, have I gained the appreciation of all the work that goes into successfully carrying this meal out! 

Pampushky was my contribution 

After the wonderful supper, we drive to the midnight mass in a wooden church with a candle lit chandelier.  This church in the middle of the country fields is packed with local farmers and those from a nearby city. 

Lighting the candle Chandelier

My Christmas Eve dinner always begins with Kutya, the wheat berry dish sweetened with honey.  Kutya is a ritual dish and very much part of the Christmas Eve meal.  Custom is that everyone partakes of Kutya, no matter how small a portion this is!   The dish dates back to early cultivation of wheat in Ukraine before Christianity and is believed to be part of an ancient religion with the offering of wheat to the Sun God!

My recipe follows how I saw my Mom preparing this dish.  My father would proudly bring in his wheat from that year's crop.  The night before Christmas Eve, the wheat was rinsed with many washes and any husks that floated to the top of the water where removed.  The cleaned wheat was allowed to soften overnight and again rinsed in the morning.  Fresh water was added to the pot with the soften wheat and brought to boil.  This was done early in the morning.  Poppyseed is added at this time.  When the water came to boil, the wheat  simmered most of the day until soft.  Being careful to watch that the water does not evaporate and adding more water as necessary.  The final step is to add honey for flavour and sweetness.  My family likes to serve this wheat dish warm, but some serve it cold.  

This post is part of The Canadian Food Experience Project and features the Canadian Christmas Tradition.

12 dishes of Ukrainian Christmas Eve

"Khrystos Rodyvsya" (Christ is born). The reply is "SlavimYeho" (Praise him). 

 Christmas meal starts with the first star, believed to be the star of Bethlehem

After the singing of Boh Predvichnyi ( God Eternal) the meal begins.

The Twelve Traditional Dishes starts with Kutya, a wheat berry dish with poppyseeds that has been simmering in a saucepan all day, flavored with honey..

The next dish served is a soup.  My Grandmother always served Lenten Borscht or Pisnyy Borscht with tiny dumplings called 'Vushka" or small ears. However, my Mom served Cream of Wild Mushroom soup.

Appetizers such as Pickled Herring, Pickled Mushroom and Marinated Salmon(Gravlax) is served next. 

The main Meatless Entrees served are Pyrohy or dumplings with  two different filling; Sauerkraut and potato with cottage cheese.  A wild mushroom sauce is also served to be a topping for the pyrohy 

Meatless Holubtchi or cabbage rolls, Cabbage rolls, 2016, Nalysnyky or crepes with cottage cheese filling, Mushroom sauce and pan seared Haddock or Salmon.  Fish Balls are delicious and popular with the young children.

A sweet Pyrohy are delicious with a fruit filling like, Prunes, Plums or Cranberry!

For dessert, assortment of Christmas baking with fruitcake and pampushky are served.

I am posting my recipes as I prepare the dishes for this year's Christmas Eve meal.

Here is another beautiful site to check out on 12 Ukrainian dishes for Christmas Eve