How to cook kutya by all the rules? The recipe for cooking kutya

Undoubtedly, the most holy holiday for all believers is Christmas. On this day, people of different ranks and estates gathered together at a table and rejoiced at the birth of Jesus Christ. And regardless of how rich or modest the decorations and dishes were, the stove was a staple or, as it was called, colic and juicy. It was a mixture of cereals cooked with the addition of honey and poppy milk. And how to cook kutyu at Christmas in our time, to learn is simple.

Origin of the origin of the dish

The sacred fast requires special observance just before Christmas, but with the appearance of the first star, guests begin to serve festive dishes to the table. However, there is a mandatory order in this.

So, the first is served the traditional porridge, which has long since become a ritual for all Christians. But still it has much more ancient roots, stretching from the time of antiquity. The thing is that the distant past was believed that at the moment of the birth of the child, for a moment, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is opened, and therefore the reverence of the ancestors is most appropriate in this short period. So Christmas was the only holiday that combines both the appearance of a new one and the commemoration of the forgotten, and most dishes began to have a certain meaning.

The meaning of kutya

Already the ancestors knew exactly how to cook kutya according to all the rules of Christmas, because each of its components had its own meaning: grains in porridge - the fertile power of the earth, reverence to it as the mother of all living things; Poppy milk and honey - the sweetness of life and its abundance, as well as the Christian paradise; Nuts and raisins are sources of health and well-being. So, as a result, the kutya united in itself all the meanings of the continuation of the human race. Therefore, the ancients believed that the richer the composition of this ritual porridge, the better and better the next year for them.

If we talk about the lexical meaning of the word "kutya", then its source was the ancient Greek "kukkia", which can be translated as "boiled grain". Another name - "osovo" - has a simpler meaning - "juice, trickle, juicy", and the third name of the dish - "kolivo" - comes from antique "kolibo" fruit, which with grains was served as a memorial offering to ancestors.

The time difference makes itself felt

The current recipe for Kutya Rozhdestvenskaya, of course, differs from the original, because over the years the man's diet and range of products have clearly changed and enriched. However, it should be noted that its main components remained unchanged. Previously, it was prepared from rice, rye, wheat, barley and pearl barley with the addition of raisins, nuts, sweets, marmalade, jam, dried fruit and other sweet and hearty ingredients. However, how to cook kutya, having much more products available? Of course, according to the preferences of their loved ones. The minimum set for this special cereal is whole wheat without husks (1 glass), poppy seeds and walnuts (100 grams), honey (1-3 tablespoons). If desired, you can add raisins, almonds and pieces of fruit.

The easiest recipe

To prepare the right tasty ostrovo, in the evening you need to rinse the wheat and soak its grain in a lot of water, and in the morning to grind the poppy until milk is obtained, crush the nuts and proceed directly to the porridge. To make it soft, the cereals should be cooked on low heat for a very long time (literally several hours). And then add to the same pan or mix in a separate large bowl with poppy milk, honey and nuts and sugar to taste. It is important that the porridge remain liquid, this is the consistency of the traditional Sochi.

Now you know how to cook kutya on the simplest recipe, but the presentation of the dish is of no small importance. So, kutya should be served in deep clay cups and eat it with a spoon, scooping up more. After all, this porridge is a symbol of the most fertile nature, and it is with pleasure and appetite that you should draw its wealth.

Variant from rice: the first stage

However, there is another recipe. Now we will tell you how to cook kutya from rice. For this we need 1 glass of rice and poppy, half a glass of raisins and almonds, as well as honey and sugar to taste. We begin with the usual: we take the rice from the husk and small stones, carefully rinse it, spread it into a small cast-iron cauldron (any food in it acquires a more home and bright taste) and fill it with water so that the liquid completely covers the cereal and exceeds it by 1 phalanx. We put it on a big fire and when the lid is slightly opened we bring it to a boil. On average it takes 5-10 minutes. Then, when the water is bubbling, translate into minimal fire, close the lid tightly and cook until the liquid disappears completely. Finally, turn off the gas and try the rice for softness, let's brew for another quarter of an hour.

The second and final stage

Now, if you want to learn how to properly cook kutya from rice, you need to remember the next point. This is a very delicate cereal, which has not too bright and quite specific taste, and therefore further preparation requires a careful combination with other products, so that our owes will get to fame.

So, first we chop the almonds into small pieces and put them into a saucepan. Now add to it scalded with boiling water raisins, our boiled rice, a little sugar and water (from the teapot, cooled to room temperature). Slightly mix and let it stand until we cook lean milk. For him, poppy pour boiled water in a ratio of 1: 1 and leave to swell for 1-2 hours. Then we shift it into a mortar and crush, gradually adding more water (in the end 1-2 tablespoons of water should leave). Now we squeeze the poppy, transfer it into a small ceramic cup and add sugar and honey to this liquid until a pleasant sweet taste is obtained.

Option 3: from barley

Since you now know how to cook kutya from wheat and rice, it remains only to learn its recipe with barley, which we need only 2 tablespoons. And besides it, you need 3 liters of water, 1 cup of poppy, 6-7 tablespoons of honey and 2-5 - jam. First, we wash the barley and boil it on medium heat, constantly dealing with the removal of the formed foam. Now, when you notice that the croup has become slimy, immediately drain the water, change the dishes, add milk and cook until ready, stirring constantly. Then turn off the fire and let it brew for 5 minutes while we grind the poppy soaked in advance in the water in a manner similar to the recipe in which we learned how to cook kutya from rice.

Let's sum up the results

We pass to the final stage: mix barley, poppy milk, honey and raisins warm it over low heat for about 5 minutes with continuous stirring, and then cover with a lid and let it brew for 15 minutes. Before serving kutya guests, season it with a delicious jam. Of course, this recipe can be constantly enriched with your own creative solutions. For example, you can find an excellent combination of several types of nuts or use a syrup instead of jam, and before serving, decorate the dish with fresh fruit, candied fruits and dried apricots, and gourmets will find use for sweet berries. Remember that everything depends only on your imagination and culinary abilities, because in Christmas you need to cook with indispensable pleasure!