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Kutia (Kutya) is a traditional Christmas wheat berry pudding. It is popular in Ukraine and various other parts of Eastern Europe. It’s a very special dish that is served on Christmas eve. We couldn’t post it in time for December 24th, but at least it will be in time for the European Christmas on January 7th :). Don’t forget to pin this for next year!
My husband has been on a mission to make the perfect Kutia recipe. He’s tested several versions over the past few years trying to re-create what he enjoyed in his childhood and we fell in love with this one. It’s sweetened with milk and honey and has a perfect balance of fruit, nuts, and poppyseeds. This recipe requires some overnight prep so you definitely want to read through it before you begin.
Ingredients for Kutia:
1 1/2 cups wheat berries (we used Hard White Winter Wheat Berries)
4 1/2 cups of milk (or water, but milk tastes better)
3/4 cups poppy seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup dry apricots, chopped
2/3 cup slivered almonds (or chopped walnuts)
1/8 tsp salt
How to Make Wheat Berry Pudding (Kutia):
1. Rinse wheat berries in cold water until water runs clear, then transfer to a bowl and soak overnight in lukewarm water, adding enough water to cover 2-inches above the wheat berries.
2. The following day, drain wheat berries, place them in a medium-sized heavy pot, cover with 4 1/2 cups of milk and bring everything to a boil over high heat. When milk starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer until wheat berries are very tender, 3 1/2 – 4 hours, depending on the quality of the wheat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more milk if needed to keep the wheat berries fully submerged (If you simmer over low heat, you won’t have to add anymore milk).
3. While the wheat berries are on the stove, rinse 3/4 cups of poppy seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve, drain well, and transfer to a medium sauce pan and add 3 cups water. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer (Don’t boil). Turn off. Cover with lid and let it sit for 30 min. Return to a simmer (don’t boil). Turn off. Cover and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Drain poppy seeds well through a colander or by keeping lid on and placing several layers of cheese cloth over lid to catch stray poppy seeds. Push the poppy seeds through a food grinder, using the fine grinding plate.
(You can also mill the poppy seeds in batches in a clean coffee grinder). Click HERE for the detail pictures of the poppy-seed making process.
4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spread 2/3 cups of slivered almonds on a baking sheet and toast them for 5 minutes. Set them aside and reduce temperature to 325˚F.
5. When wheat berries get very tender, drain off the milk in a glass measuring cup. Keep 1/2 cup of the cooked milk and discard the rest. Combine 1/2 cup of honey with 1/2 cup of saved milk and stir until combined.
6. Place cooked wheat berries in a mixing bowl, add ground poppy seeds, 1/2 cup raisins, 2/3 cup dry chopped apricots, 2/3 cup toasted slivered almonds, honey-milk mixture and 1/8 tsp salt. Mix everything together and place in an casserole or pie dish, than bake your kutia for 20 minutes uncovered at 325˚F.
7. Remove kutia from the oven, cover with foil and let it rest 15 min. Serve warm or cold. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have. Kutia will last in the fridge for a good 2 weeks.
Credits: Poppyseed mixture instructions from our Poppyseed filling recipe. Recipe also adapted from Grandma Galina in church and the Cookbook, Please to the Table by Anya Von Bremzen & John Welchman.
Kutia Recipe (Sweet Wheat Berry Pudding)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse wheat berries in cold water until water runs clear, then transfer to a bowl and soak overnight in lukewarm water, adding enough water to cover 2-inches above the wheat berries.
- The following day, drain wheat berries, place them in a medium-sized heavy pot, cover with 4 1/2 cups of milk and bring everything to a boil over high heat. When milk starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer until wheat berries are very tender, 3 1/2 - 4 hours, depending on the quality of the wheat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more milk if needed to keep the wheat berries fully submerged (If you simmer over low heat, you won't have to add anymore milk).
- While the wheat berries are on the stove, rinse 3/4 cups of poppy seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve, drain well, and transfer to a medium sauce pan and add 3 cups water. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer (Don’t boil). Turn off. Cover with lid and let it sit for 30 min. Return to a simmer (don’t boil). Turn off. Cover and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Drain poppy seeds well through a colander or by keeping lid on and placing several layers of cheese cloth over lid to catch stray poppy seeds. Push the poppy seeds through a food grinder, using the fine grinding plate (You can also mill the poppy seeds in batches in a clean coffee grinder).
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spread 2/3 cups of slivered almonds on a baking sheet and toast them for 5 minutes. Set them aside and reduce temperature to 325˚F.
- When wheat berries get very tender, drain off the milk in a glass measuring cup. Keep 1/2 cup of the cooked milk and discard the rest. Combine 1/2 cup of honey with 1/2 cup of saved milk and stir until combined.
- Place cooked wheat berries in a mixing bowl, add ground poppy seeds, 1/2 cup raisins, 2/3 cup dry chopped apricots, 2/3 cup toasted slivered almonds, honey-milk mixture and 1/8 tsp salt. Mix everything together and place in an casserole or pie dish, than bake your kutia for 20 min uncovered at 325˚F.
- Remove kutia from the oven, cover with foil and let it rest 15 min. Serve warm or cold. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have. Kutia will last in the fridge for a good 2 weeks.
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
* These pyrex glass bowls are perfect for mixing and serving.
* Having a variety of glass measuring cups is essential.
* The OXO strainers are wonderful for sifting, straining, rinsing, etc.
* This utensil set sits right next to my stove. It gets used – alot!
I would give this 5 stars as it’s great overall but by Ukrainian tradition, this dish should not be made with milk if it’s for Christmas Eve supper as part of the 12 dishes as these should be entirely vegetarian and made without meat and dairy.
I think that making it with almond milk or oat milk would be fine.
The kutia last year still wasn’t soft enough. Can you tell me where you get your berries?
Hi Lidia! We’ve purchased the wheat berries in Rosauers and Whole Foods both in the bin sections.
I cook my poppy seeds for a few minutes in a bit of milk after grinding. Add honey to taste. Voila done.
My friend’s husband made this for 15 on Jan 7th (Ukrainian Christmas brunch). He’s been in charge of kutia for many years and this was THE BEST of all the versions he’s made. It was outstanding! We all agreed that you could eat the leftovers for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks… When he told me he found the recipe here I told him I love Natasha’s recipes – and not just because I’m also a Natasha. Thank you for all the great recipes and information you share!
Pryvit Natasha! Love your recipes! I make my Kutia with pearl barley as did my mother from Ukraine. It takes less time to cook than wheat berries. Also, since this is the first dish in our 12 meatless course for Christmas Eve, it should not contain dairy products, so no milk but we make ours with water, equally delicious. I found your directions for processing the poppy seeds very informative. Thank you !
Hi Alya! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
Cooking in milk didn’t work for me, the milk curdled badly and the wheat grains were all covered with residue. I think cooking in water is a must. Growing up in Ukraine, we never cooked in milk and therefore I wanted to try. I didn’t like this recipe at all.
I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like you possibly over-heated the milk. When milk starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer until wheat berries are very tender, 3 1/2 – 4 hours is how long it took for me.
Hi Natasha – I made this kutia for todays Christmas festivities. It was great when it came out of the oven on Thursday, but we tried it yesterday from the fridge and the grains have hardened. Is there a trick to soften them again?
Hi Inga, nearly all grains will harden in the fridge. I would suggest re-warming it to soften up the grains again.
I use ‘shelled wheat’. Have never tried boiling it in milk. I do soak it overnight like you do yours. It turns out so much, much better than the wheat berries. It is soft and doesn’t get hard after a few days like the wheat berries.
Hi Natasha,
I am making your Kutia recipe for Christmas and have never made Kutia before. I purchased the poppy seeds from a shop that had already ground them. Should I still do the simmering two times (#3 in instructions)?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Ruthie, I haven’t tried purchasing them pre-ground. I am assuming they are already cooked? It would definitely save time if that works and if they are already ground then you probably don’t need to cook and grind them again. I haven’t tried with a pre-ground but I hope it works great for you!
Hi Natasha! I made your Kutia recipe last year and it was a big hit! This year we have some celiac members joining us. Would buckwheat be a good substitute for wheat berries? Or do you suggest another substitute? I need to get moving on this recipe pronto!
Hi Sue, I haven’t tested that myself to advise, but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I have made my Baba’s traditional kutia recipe for many years with white quinoa (cookieandkate.com has great instructions for cooking – be sure to rinse with cold water before cooking so it’s not bitter).
Just cook the quinoa and let it cool, then add to the rest of the ingredients. It doesn’t get mushy, and tastes wonderful. It’s easy, gluten-free, and super-duper nutritious!
This year I will make Natasha’s recipe as well, since I’ll have some newcomers from Ukraine with me to celebrate on January 6th!