Not a Soviet tradition. When and why did they start cooking kutyu from rice

“As firmly as we do not adhere to old customs, and as everywhere we have the conviction that kutya must necessarily be made of wheat groats, among the population of such cities as Kyiv, and even among the lords and half-lords of the village, you can find proselytes who, following the example of other lords, prepare for myself, I no longer cook from wheat groats, but from rice,” says the historian Vadym Nazarenko. It is a description of the tradition of celebrating Christmas, which was recorded in 1858 by the Ukrainian ethnographer Matvii Nomys in the journal Osnova.

Rice appeared as an exotic product brought from the East in the 18th century / Photo: freepik

Rice appeared as an exotic product imported from the East, and at first it was used only in higher social circles. It was used to prepare special dishes that emphasized the status of those who could afford this product. Although the price of rice decreased over time, it was an expensive product by the middle of the 19th century.

As the nobles and commoners wrote in their diaries then “Sorochyn millet” (one of the names of rice at the time) was not affordable. The cuisine of the high class and wealthy families mentioned rice in combination with exquisite herbs and other overseas products: almonds, saffron, sugar from sugar cane, raisins, prunes. What else did you cook with it? Rice could be used to stuff birds, make sweet soups with it and, as you might have guessed, it was used as a base for kuti.

During the description of the banquet in the novel Pan Halyavskyi, the writer Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko mentioned “soup with rice and raisins” and “turkey stuffed with Saracen millet and raisins”. In families with money, turkey stuffed with rice and prunes was prepared for big family holidays. Ethnographer Mykola Arandarenko wrote about this when he described the contemporary cuisine of the inhabitants of the Poltava region in 1849.

But why was there actually a desire to replace traditional wheat or barley with a new grain crop? There is also an answer to this question. Researcher Olena Brychenko said that kutya with rice was a way to separate from the peasantry. In urban regions, rice was associated with luxury and celebration due to its spread among the European culinary tradition and Eastern influences. The use of this product gave festive dishes a more refined character.

However, like any changes, such a transition from the usual and proven recipe over the years was not liked by everyone. According to Nomis, Ukrainian “traditionalists” reacted very vividly to the fact that some housewives “got crazy” and would cook kutya from rice, and even with raisins: “They have gone crazy, forgotten God, turned from people into the devil.” It was only in the 20th century that the popularity of rice reached the level where it became a traditional component of kuti in some regions, and koliwa in others. Even the Russian Empire actively purchased rice, ten times more every year. Later, the Soviet authorities tried to grow rice on Ukrainian lands, and it succeeded in the Southern regions.

Therefore, the popularity of rice as not only a festive but also an everyday cereal can be attributed to its widespread use. During the times of the USSR, it was not always possible to purchase wheat, but there was rice. Although this does not entirely explain the preference of some regions and even districts for rice kuti, while others consumed more barley on Christmas Eve. For example, researchers call the dish kanun more typical for Donetsk region. The main ingredient of kanun is rice, said Yuliya Kulinenko, a religious scholar and member of the folk group Dyvina. All other ingredients were at the discretion of the hostess. “Although kanun was prepared in my family, they called it kutya. It was rice porridge with cherry jam. In other families, they used, for example, strawberry jam, sometimes they added poppy seeds,” she shared.

Therefore, we suggest not to give up experiments and traditions and celebrate deliciously. Here is a rice kuti recipe for your Christmas Eve:

Kuti recipe without wheat: with rice and dried apricots

On Christmas Eve, it is customary to serve only light dishes on the table – there should be 12 of them, according to the number of apostles. We offer to prepare one of the main ones – kutyu according to an unusual recipe.

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