How to cook kutia from rice and raisins according to a funeral recipe

Each nation has its own ceremonies, rituals for births, weddings, funerals and wakes. In Orthodoxy, the eve is an integral part of the funeral ceremony. Why does it have such significance, how to prepare funeral kutia from rice with raisins at home - we will analyze the recipe and method of how to accurately prepare such a dish yourself, we will analyze in detail.

What is kutya

When sitting down at the funeral table, before the meal begins, the relatives of the deceased are obliged to serve ritual porridge to those who come. It's called funeral kutya. The dish has become traditional at funerals or wakes; it varies in composition. It all depends on the place of residence of the deceased. However, the various recipes for the dish have much in common. The basic composition is boiled cereal. Various products can be used to complement kutia recipes for funerals:

• honey;
• candied fruits and dried fruits;
• cinnamon;
• nuts, etc.

Classic wheat kutia

This dish is often used as a holiday treat. It’s easy to prepare, and even a culinary novice can handle this task with dignity. The main thing is to brew the cereal correctly, and then you will get a tender kutia. We recommend writing down the classic recipe or bookmarking it. A little cheat sheet will help you remember the details.

Required:

· 400 gr. wheat cereal for kutia (whole); · 1.2 l. water; · 200 gr. raisins; · 200 gr. peeled walnut kernels; · honey to taste; · 100 gr. poppy

Classic wheat kutia: step-by-step recipe

Preparation:

1. Pour the wheat into a container and rinse under warm, running water. 2. Pour the cereal with warm boiled water overnight so that the grains swell properly. 3. For cooking, we use a proportion of 1 to 3, where 1 is wheat, 3 is water. 4. Pour the grains into boiling water and, after boiling, cook over low heat for up to an hour, optimally 40 minutes. Not all of the water should boil away. 5. Add 2-5 tablespoons of honey (to taste) to warm cereal. If the honey is thick, it must first be melted in a water bath or diluted with warm water. 6. Chop the nuts. 7. Steam the raisins with boiling water and leave for 10-15 minutes. 8. Steam the poppy seeds with boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain the water and grind the grains in a coffee grinder or mortar. 9. Drain the water from the raisins, dry the berries on a paper towel. 10. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add a spoonful of sugar to taste. If the dish turns out thick, dilute it with boiled water.

Depending on preferences and culinary tastes, kutya is prepared with a mushy, thick or liquid consistency. To achieve optimal density, dilute with boiled water in the required amount. The prepared kutia is left for a few minutes so that it infuses and the grains absorb the sweetness.

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What does kutya symbolize?

For all recommended recipes for funeral kutia, the main ingredient is grains. They must symbolize a certain cycle of life and emphasize fertility. Seeds of grain crops, falling into the soil, begin to grow and transform. Among the Slavs, a person is a grain, which after death receives immortality, as well as the rebirth of the soul. By consuming kutya, the relatives of the deceased become some kind of participants in the endless cycle of life.

The remaining ingredients of the ritual meal also signify eternal life. The spirit of conciliarity in Orthodoxy connects precisely with this dish the tradition of delivering it (together with other products) to the church on memorial days. There he is left on a separate funeral table called the “eve”. All parishioners eating this meal certainly remember the deceased for whom such an offering was made.

How to properly serve and prepare kutia from rice with honey and raisins for a funeral

They paid special attention to the process of creating a ritual dish - they made the porridge very tasty and rich. This was done due to the fact that kutia was considered a food for the deceased, and not for the living - a tribute to the deceased. Orthodox believe that nourishing and tasty food should be in Heaven and call porridge food for angels. Place the porridge in the center of the table, serving it in a deep clay bowl. Kutya is served on the ninth and fortieth day, six and twelve months after the funeral.

Before you learn how to properly cook kutya for a funeral, you need to remember the rules for serving it:

• kutya is tasted first at the entire funeral table;
• eat the dish with both hands and a spoon;
• each person at the table must eat at least three spoons of porridge;
• the dish is served chilled;
• It is not allowed to eat kutya with a knife, fork or other sharp objects;
• before serving, the ritual porridge should be blessed within the walls of the church or sprinkled with blessed water at home;
• eat the dish completely, down to a single spoon, since it cannot be thrown away;
• Before tasting, it is important to pray and ask God for the Kingdom of Heaven for the deceased.

A little history

Kutya for funerals has been used in funeral ceremonies since ancient pagan times. It had a specific sacred meaning: by eating such a dish, a believer comprehends a clear relationship between generations, feels the transition of life into death and back, and becomes a part of the eternal cycle of existence.

Scientists have identified the roots of such a tradition in Byzantium. The name for rice with raisins, used at funerals, originated in this region. The name of the dish is kollyba. In Greece, it was customary to prepare a similar meal using grains along with fruits; they ate it after the funeral.

Basics of preparing funeral kutia

The dish can be prepared from any cereal - wheat, rice or barley. All versions of porridge cooked from whole grains will be called kutya. For funerals, rice cereal options are most often prepared. You can also add ingredients such as poppy seeds, dried fruits, honey, various nuts, sugar, and candied fruits to the dish. The right porridge should turn out very tasty and sweet. Kutya is prepared in a cast iron pot or thick-walled cauldron. Before serving, the dish is decorated with cubes of candied fruit, marmalade or poppy seeds.

Kutya according to the classic recipe

Making a sweet ritual dish is quite easy. You can’t do without it on memorial days - it symbolizes the memory of the deceased, eternity and immortality, and is associated with burial. The taste of the porridge is given by sweet ingredients, walnuts and butter. But on strict fasting days it is prepared without milk and butter.

Ingredients:

• Rice - two glasses
• Butter - 70 g
• Water - 1 l
• Salt - a pinch
• Sugar - 2 tbsp.
• White raisins – 100 g
• Honey - to taste

A step-by-step recipe for a dish consists of the following steps:

1. Salt cold water in a saucepan and place the liquid on the fire. To boil water.
2. Rinse two cups of rice with ice water to completely remove starch. Thus, the porridge will be crumbly and can rightfully be called traditional kutya.
3. Cook whole grain rice until tender for half an hour. Cook the component over low heat.

4. Sort through the raisins, remove any specks and pour boiling water over them. Let the raisins swell for ten minutes, then dry the dried fruits with paper towels.

5. Heat a mixture of five tablespoons of water, sugar, honey to taste and raisins in a saucepan. Boil the mixture until a thick golden syrup forms.
6. Serve rice with raisins and sugar syrup to the table.

Sweet kutia for a wake - a recipe made from honey and rice in a slow cooker

This cooking option in a slow cooker is not only simple, but also very fast.

You need to prepare the following products:

• Honey – 2 tbsp. l.
• Rice cereal – 2 cups
• Raisins – 300 gr.
• Cold water – 4 tbsp.

Cooking rules

Much attention during the ceremony was paid to the correct preparation of traditional kutya from rice with raisins and honey - the recipe necessarily included grains. Recommendations for creating the dish are as follows:

• porridge requires only whole grains - they do not lose their shape when cooked;
• It is recommended to rinse the cereal thoroughly and then soak it briefly in water;
• to get semi-liquid porridge, you need to store a solution of honey or sugar in uzvar or water, then coat the cereal with the sweet mixture;
• According to tradition, the dish must be blessed by sprinkling it with holy water;
• A ritual meal should look beautiful and taste good.

Particular attention is paid to the choice of the main ingredient. For kutya, it is best to choose long rice, since it sticks less after cooking.

Rice in plastic bags is also suitable for commemoration. The likelihood that increased stickiness will form, causing the rice to stick to the walls, is minimized.

Funeral kutia made from pearl barley and sesame

Pearl barley is a healthy grain. It contains a lot of vitamin D, which strengthens the central nervous system.

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 500 gr. barley;
• 100 gr. butter;
• 100 gr. honey;
• 40 gr. sesame;
• salt - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Pour barley with water for 20 minutes, then rinse well and boil. Add salt.
2. Mix honey with butter and add to barley.
3. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Mix everything thoroughly.

Beverages

The Orthodox faith does not welcome alcohol at a funeral meal. Prepare 1-2 drinks from berries or fruits. It is customary to cook jelly at a wake. You can make fruit juice or compote.

Interesting! In the old days, a drink brewed from dried fruits, berries or fruits was called uvar or uzvar. The name is derived from the verb boil, boil.

The following ingredients are required for the orange juice recipe:

• oranges – 400 g or 3 pcs.;
• granulated sugar – 215 g or 1 tbsp.;
• vanillin – 25 g or 1 tbsp. l.

Wash and peel the oranges, which you will set aside separately. Extract the juice from peeled oranges using a juicer. Grind the orange peel, place in a saucepan, add 1 glass of water, and bring to a boil. Add granulated sugar. Pour the previously set aside zest into a saucepan, add 100 ml of water and bring to a boil. Add sugar, stirring, and bring to a boil. Add vanilla sugar. Pour the squeezed orange juice into the pan. Add water and boil the drink. Strain through a sieve and cool the finished fruit drink.

For regular funeral jelly you will need the following ingredients:

• fruit or berry juice – 3 l;
• granulated sugar - to taste;
• potato starch – 100 g

Pour the juice into a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour starch into a cup, add warm water, stir evenly. Pour the starch solution into the juice. Bring the jelly to a boil, turn off the heat, and cool after pouring into glasses.

Kutya made from wheat and nuts

Ingredients:

• 200 g wheat,
• 100 g poppy seeds,
• 50 g walnuts,
• 150 g honey,
• 100 g cream,
• a pinch of salt.
• Preparation:

Wash the wheat and cook until fully cooked, 2.5-3 hours, then drain the water and cool. Steam poppy seeds with boiling water for 30 minutes, then grind in a mortar or grind in a blender. Dry and chop the walnuts. Mix wheat, poppy seeds, nuts, add honey, salt and pour cream.

Serve the kutya chilled.

Story

The word “kutia” itself comes from the Greek kukkia - boiled grain. Traditional preparation of porridge came long before the advent of Christianity among the Slavs. Most researchers note that the food has the status of an ancient pagan dish and is associated with funeral and sacrifice rites. Porridge was served on tables during religious celebrations as a sign of worship for the dead. Believing that the deceased retains all human needs, incl. and in food, the ancient Slavs prepared kutya from wheat for the deceased and placed it next to the grave.

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Products for kutya

Products in kutia are chosen for a reason, but with a certain meaning. Each ingredient symbolizes something. It is unlikely that these meanings have been preserved since ancient times, although...

• Cereals are a symbol of eternal life, as well as procreation and succession of generations.
• Honey represents health and well-being.
• Nuts are a symbol of prosperity.
• Raisins - love.

There are other interpretations on the Internet. However, historians are in no hurry to get involved in this dispute. After all, symbols are just that: symbols. It is more important to know a few basic rules that should be followed when preparing kutia.

• Before cooking, grains for kutia must be soaked for a couple of hours, or better yet, overnight.
• Cereals must maintain their integrity, i.e. they should not be overcooked.
• You can add candied fruits, marmalade or jam to Christmas kutia.
• Kutya should be illuminated in the temple or at least sprinkled with holy water.

That's all the requirements. Now you can proceed directly to preparing traditional ritual porridge.

How to cook kutya (sochivo) from wheat for Christmas 2022 with uzvar

It is from wheat grains that the most correct kutia is considered. Now you can buy them in any store. I don’t know about you, but at our market, grandmothers sell boiled cereals before the holidays. Of course, I cook myself. You can find this recipe on our family channel, I will leave the video below, under this recipe.

The porridge was prepared according to our family recipe, which we have been using for a long time, if you like it, you can cook it, but we still have many interesting options ahead.

Ingredients:

• Wheat - 2 cups
• Poppy - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Raisins - 80 - 100 gr.
• Honey - 2 - 3 tbsp. spoons
• Walnuts - 50 gr.
• Uzvar to taste

You can buy wheat in the store, some packages are labeled, as you can see, that it is suitable for cooking. Prepare all other products and get down to business.

We measure the required amount of cereal with a glass, rinse with cold running water, the water should be 3 cm above the level.

Place on maximum heat and bring to a boil. Remove the foam that forms with a spoon. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.

After the water has evaporated, leave it to infuse for 1 hour; we cooked with the lid slightly open, and infused with the lid closed. Place the warm wheat in a bowl.

We add uzvar, not a lot, we like it to just cover the porridge. Add honey and raisins (you can pre-fill it with water, but you don’t have to do this, it will still be saturated with uzvar). Add poppy seeds and nuts.

You can roast the nuts for flavor. You can add honey according to your taste, or replace it with sugar.

Usually we steep it for one hour and serve it, thereby all the products “exchange” tastes.

Uzvar is prepared from dried apples and pears, pour a handful of dried fruits with a liter of water (after rinsing), cook for 5-7 minutes from the moment of boiling, then leave overnight. It is tastier and richer from the infusion process. Just cover the pan with a lid and leave for at least 5 hours.

Also, I am attaching video material, if you are interested, or something was not clear, you can view it by clicking the button in the center, thereby turning it on for viewing.

An interesting and very simple recipe, it is affordable, and everyone can make exactly the right porridge, the one that is usually served on the table at Christmas.

Cooking kutia

To prepare the treat, use dishes with a thick bottom so that the cereal does not burn and spoil the taste of the dish. The ideal way to create koliva is in the oven in a clay pot, but you can cook it in a slow cooker or a saucepan on the stove . If kutia is prepared in advance, then raisins, dried fruits and honey are added immediately before serving, because may ferment.

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Christmas kutia (full) with honey water

A hearty dish with the addition of water and honey will not leave anyone indifferent!

The composition requires the following ingredients:

• wheat cereal – 0.4 kg;
• honey – 15 g;
• raisins – 50 g;
• poppy seed – 2 tsp;
• kernels of nuts – 20 g;
• water – 50-70 ml.

Full for Christmas contains 5 stages of preparation:

1. Pour the wheat kernels with cold water and leave for 8-10 hours.
2. Sort, rinse again under running water in a sieve.
3. Place the wheat in a baking dish, pour in 0.5 liters of water, and place in an oven preheated to 150 C for an hour.
4. Pour boiling water over raisins and poppy seeds separately and leave for half an hour.
5. Chop the nuts and fry for a couple of minutes in a frying pan.
6. Grind poppy seeds with a blender.
7. Pour water into honey and melt in the microwave.
8. Add all ingredients to the porridge, add honey water. Mix the composition until smooth.

A variation of kutya, which contains a minimum of products and preparation steps.

Rozhdestvenskaya

• Time: 2-3 hours.
• Number of servings: 3-4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 180 kcal.
• Purpose: Lenten table.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Christmas kutia is based on wheat, so to obtain soft porridge, the grains must first be soaked for several hours. The Lenten recipe involves adding poppy seeds, raisins and nuts. If you want to make a rich Christmas cake, you can add butter or milk. When serving on a festive table, decorate the dish with multi-colored candied fruits, pieces of marmalade and small candies.

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Ingredients:

• honey – 80 g;
• salt – 1 pinch;
• walnuts – 0.1 kg;
• vegetable oil – 30 ml;
• poppy – 125 g;
• dried fruits – 0.2 kg;
• wheat – 1 tbsp.;
• raisins – 0.1 kg;
• water – 2 l.

Cooking method:

1. The wheat must be sorted and washed well, then soaked for a couple of hours. Place the prepared grains in a cauldron, add salt and fill with water. Add vegetable oil to the dish. It takes about 2 hours to cook the porridge.
2. Boil water and soak poppy seeds in it for about 60 minutes. Place the grains in a sieve and let the liquid drain. Grind the poppy seeds with a blender until white.
3. Pour boiling water over raisins for 20 minutes. Drain the water, dry the berries, spreading them on a napkin.
4. Rinse any dried fruits thoroughly, place in a saucepan, add 400 ml of water. Place the dishes on low heat. When the water boils, cook the uzvar for about 10 minutes. Cool the mixture to a warm temperature. Pour the liquid into a separate container, add honey, stir until the sweetness dissolves.
5. Place the finished wheat inside a deep bowl and wait until it cools. The nuts must be chopped, fried a little, and added to the kutya.
6. Add chopped boiled dried fruits and grated poppy seeds to the porridge.
7. Place the kutia with additives into the uzvar with honey. Mix all ingredients well. When serving, decorate the dish with candied fruits and nuts.

Recipe for generous kutya with raisins, poppy seeds and honey

In this recipe it is supplemented with multi-colored candied fruits. They not only add taste and sweetness, but also make the dish very tasty, bright and festive.

Products

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups boiling water
• 100 g raisins
• 100 g nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
• 100 grams of multi-colored candied fruits
• 2-3 tbsp. not thick honey.

1. Pour cold water over the cereal and rinse it well with your hands. Then drain the cloudy water and fill it with clean water. Repeat this process until the water runs clear.

2. Place clean cereal in a saucepan and pour boiling water over it.

Cover the pan with a lid and set the heat to just below medium. Cook for exactly 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan with a towel for 30 minutes. Do not open the lid at this time. The rice will steam well, become crumbly and soft.

3. Pour hot water over the raisins and let them stand for a while until they steam a little and become soft.

4. Add raisins, chopped nuts, candied fruits and honey to the finished porridge. Stir everything and put it in a bowl.

Delicious and quick Christmas kutia with jam

My aunt always prepared this recipe, she loved jam very much, and she was allergic to honey. She used strawberry, strawberry, cherry, and plum jam.

I remember as a child, it was interesting and unusual to try a dish with jam, but it was tasty and had a place on the table. She decorated chocolates, cutting them diagonally, with multi-colored marmalade. It was so interesting to look at this unusual decoration. I want to say that in every family I decorate, decorate and prepare it differently.

Ingredients:

• Boiled rice
• Raisins, nuts, dried fruits
• Jam
• Poppy (possible without it)

Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds for an hour and blend with a blender until milk forms.

Boil the rice until cooked, add raisins, chopped nuts, dried fruits. They need to be poured with boiling water and mixed, filled with jam instead of sugar and sweet water.

Cherry, strawberry, strawberry, plum, apricot will do. You don't have to add poppy seeds. I used rice as a base, but you can use any grain. Add nuts as desired, as well as dried fruits.

Leave it in a cool place for 3-5 hours so that everything settles and you can try it. Treat your guests.

If you don’t want to bother with poppy seeds and all that stuff, add raisins to the rice, season the porridge with jam or boiled condensed milk, and you’re done. This is an express method, super fast and fast when you don't have time.

No matter how beautiful it is, sweet porridge, you don’t need to eat it down to the bottom with spoons, that’s not the way it is. According to tradition, each guest takes a teaspoon and that’s it. And then proceeds to the main dishes and drinks.

If you don’t want to make it with poppy seeds, you can boil the rice and make it with jam and nuts, I took apricot, poured it on top, and placed a slice of apricot.

How do you like the quick serving option? It’s very interesting and comes out beautifully. But most importantly, very quickly. By the way, which is better to use rice, steamed or regular? As you know, steamed meat does not stick together when cooked; it is used for pilaf; in principle, it does not matter how you like it.