Kutia

What it is

Kutia is boiled wheat grains seasoned with ground poppy seeds, honey, and walnuts, sometimes with soaked raisins. It is served at the beginning and end of the Holy Supper. The dish is both lean and sweet.

Among the Ukrainians of the Carpathians and Prykarpattia, kutia was traditionally called 'wheat': this is how ethnographer Hryhoriy Kupchanko recorded it in the folk calendar of Bukovina in 1875. In the village of Zavoloka near Chernivtsi, boiled wheat is seasoned with sugar or honey, ground nuts, and poppy seeds.

Olha Ipatiy, a hostess from the village of Berehomet in the Vyzhnytsia region, prepares kutia as follows: she rinses the wheat and soaks it in spring water overnight, in the morning adds fresh water twice as much as the grains, and cooks until the grains absorb the water; she grinds the poppy seeds with a pestle in a mortar. In her family, they also add halva to the kutia.

The Boykos consider kutia to be one of the ritual dishes of the Holy Supper along with uzvar; according to the book 'Boyko Cuisine', kutia was eaten only twice a year.

History and name

Kutia is one of the oldest ritual dishes of the Slavs, associated with honoring ancestors. It is prepared three times: on Holy Evening (rich kutia), on the Generous Evening, and before Epiphany (lean kutia). In Bukovina, it is also called kolyvo (kolevo), kanun, sochivo.

Before the supper, a pot of kutia is placed on the corner under the icons — in the most honored place in the house. In Bukovina, it was to stand there from Christmas until the Old New Year, and after the supper, kutia was left on the table overnight for the souls of deceased ancestors.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: with poppy seeds, honey, and nuts

Wheat berries1 cupWhole or coarsely ground wheat grain — the basis of kutia, which is often simply called 'wheat' in the Carpathians.Contains allergens: gluten

Poppy seeds0.5 cupGround poppy seeds with honey are a festive topping for bobalyky.

Honey2–3 tbspCarpathian honey is used for bobalyky, kutia, and varenyky; allowed during fasting.

Also: walnuts (a handful), raisins (a handful, optional), water (2 cups)

Contains allergens: gluten, tree nuts
Diet: lenten · vegetarian

Variant: with sugar instead of honey (zavoloka)

wheat berries, water, poppy seeds, sugar, walnuts

Contains allergens: gluten, tree nuts
Diet: lenten · vegan

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

• Wheat berries — 1 cup
• Water — 2 cups
• Poppy seeds — 0.5 cup
• Honey — 2–3 tbsp
• Walnuts — a handful
• Raisins — a handful

1. Sort the wheat, rinse it well, and soak it in cold water overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the water, add fresh water — twice as much as the grains — and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Cook over low heat until the grains absorb the water and become soft.
4. Grind the poppy seeds with a pestle in a mortar.
5. Mix the cooled wheat with the poppy seeds, chopped walnuts, and honey; optionally add soaked raisins.

How it is served

As the first dish of the Holy Supper; it is also used to end the supper.

Variants

Instead of honey, kutia can be sweetened with sugar; in Olha Ipatiy's family from Berehomet, they add halva. In other regions of Ukraine, kutia is also made with barley, and in some places, it is seasoned only with uzvar.

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.

Bukovina, Hutsulshchyna, and Boykivshchyna; kutia is prepared throughout Ukraine, its range is not limited to the mountains. The villages on the map are places of records.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Christmas Eve · Christmas · Lent

In tradition

The Holy Supper begins and ends with kutia. According to Bukovinian interpretation, kutia means prosperity. The traditions of Holy Evening and Christmas in Ukraine have been included in the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage (No. 105 and 106 n.k.s.), with a separate element — the Tradition of Holy Evening in Bukovina (No. 107 n.k.s.; order of the Ministry of Culture dated 24.04.2025 No. 268).

Safety

Honey is not given to children under one year old. People with allergies to bee products or nuts should be cautious.

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