Banosh

What it is

Banosh, or banush, is the most famous dish of Hutsul cuisine. It is corn grits cooked not in water, but in sour cream or cream. The porridge is continuously stirred with a wooden spoon until drops of butter appear on the surface: this is how housewives determine that the banosh is ready.

The finished dish has a yellow color, medium thickness, and a slight sourness from the sour cream. On the plate, banosh is almost always complemented with grated sheep Bryndza, crispy cracklings, or stewed forest mushrooms in sour cream. During fasting, a variant is made without dairy, with mushrooms in oil.

Banosh differs from Kulesha in its base: Kulesha is cooked in boiling water, while banosh is made with sour cream. Because of this, it is more filling and was historically considered a festive and hospitable dish, rather than an everyday one.

Today, banosh is served in almost every koliba in the Carpathians, and in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk on January 11, 2020, 1,420 liters of banosh were cooked — this is a national record for Ukraine.

History and name

Ethnographer Volodymyr Shukhevych described banosh in his work 'Hutsulshchyna' at the end of the 19th century: for three measures of boiling sour cream, one measure of corn grits was taken, cooked for a quarter of an hour, and then the porridge was divided into two parts and stirred until it released butter. In mountain villages, banosh was primarily prepared for holidays and guests.

The name comes from the Romanian language: banush, banosh, and balmuș are associated with the Romanian balmoș, which through the Bulgarian 'balmuș' originates from the Turkish bulamaç — 'flour porridge'. Similar dishes made from corn on a dairy base are known in Romania and Moldova.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: traditional, with sour cream

Corn grits1 cupCrushed corn — the base for banosh, holubtsi, and Hutsul hurka; in the mountains, corn has historically replaced wheat.

Sour cream3 cupsThick homemade sour cream is the base for banosh and machanka, a common dressing for Carpathian dishes.Contains allergens: milk

Bryndza (sheep cheese)100–150 g, to serveSalty sheep cheese from the polonyna — a topping for banosh and kulesha, filling for pies.Contains allergens: milk

Also: pork cracklings (to taste, to serve)

Contains allergens: milk
Diet: gluten-free by ingredients; traces possible

Variant: with forest mushrooms in sour cream

corn grits, sour cream, forest mushrooms, onion

Contains allergens: milk
Diet: vegetarian · gluten-free by ingredients; traces possible

Variant: lenten, with mushrooms

corn grits, water, dried porcini, onion, sunflower oil

Contains allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the traditional recipe
Diet: lenten · vegan · gluten-free by ingredients; traces possible

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 3–4 servings · Preparation: 5 min · Cooking: 20 min

• Corn grits — 1 cup
• Sour cream — 3 cups
• Bryndza (sheep cheese) — 100–150 g
• Pork cracklings — to taste

1. Bring sour cream (or sour cream diluted halfway with cream or milk) to a boil in a thick-walled pot and lightly salt it.
2. Gradually pour in the corn grits in a thin stream, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. For 1 part of grits, use 3–4 parts of sour cream.
3. Reduce the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. When the porridge thickens and drops of butter appear on the surface and walls, the banosh is ready. It should pull away from the pot.
5. While the porridge is cooking, render the cracklings and grate the Bryndza.
6. Serve the banosh on plates, topped with Bryndza, and add cracklings or mushrooms.

How it is served

Hot, immediately after cooking: topped with grated Bryndza and cracklings, or stewed white mushrooms or chanterelles in sour cream. It is often served with sour milk or Huslianka.

Variants

During fasting, banosh is cooked in water with oil and served with dried porcini mushrooms sautéed with onions. In Transcarpathia, the name 'banush' is common, and each family determines the thickness and amount of sour cream differently.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Mountain communities of ethnographic Hutsulshchyna: Verkhovyna, Kosiv, southern Nadvirna, Rakhiv, Bukovinian Hutsulshchyna; in Transcarpathia, the form 'banush' is widespread. The area is approximate; the dish is also prepared outside of it.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food · Polonyna (May — September) · Lent · Mushroom season

In tradition

Banosh was a festive and hospitable dish: it was cooked for guests, on holidays, and in the polonyna. Shepherds prepared it in a cauldron over a fire with sheep sour cream and Bryndza. Today, banosh is the main 'calling card' of Hutsul cuisine for tourists.

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