Traditional kutia with wheat or exquisite with rice: which one is better and what they symbolize

Kutia is the main Christmas dish. It is prepared both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day itself. This festive attribute symbolizes the honoring of the dead, the roots of the family and family comfort. Over the years, Ukrainian food bloggers and famous chefs have created many interpretations of this dish.

The FoodOboz editorial team will tell you which kutia is better: wheat or rice. Cereals have different histories and symbolism.

Traditional kutia is made from peeled wheat grains.

This is the grain that was used in ancient times. Wheat should be boiled and then combined with:

• honey
• grated poppy seeds
• various dried fruits
• nuts

The dish is served in a special dish called a makitra. You can also use a deep earthenware plate. Wheat is a truly Ukrainian product: the grain symbolizes the reproduction of life and its eternal cycle and procreation. It is not for nothing that wheat is used at Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Who cooked rice kutia?

In ancient times, rice kutia was cooked by wealthy peasants and gentry. That's why it's been a custom since then as this cereal symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Rice was bought at large fairs and was quite expensive. So were nuts, raisins, and spices for the dish.

Even in Soviet times, when wheat was not always available in stores, kutia was made mainly from rice. The tradition of cooking rice kutia has survived in the South and East of Ukraine.

You can also find recipes on OBOZ.UA:

• Classic wheat kutia
• Classic kutia with dried fruit in a multicooker
• Bulgur kutia with honey