Kutia — Honeyed Wheat Berry & Poppy Pudding
The most sacred dish of the Slavic Christmas Eve table — chewy wheat berries, poppy seeds, walnuts, honey and dried fruit. Each ingredient carries a wish: prosperity, unity, sweetness for the year to come.
Why you'll love this recipe
- An old world recipe, made the way it always was
- Not one spoon of refined sugar
- Sweetened with real honey
- Makes enough for 8
- Intermediate, with clear steps and nothing fussy
What you'll need
Everything here is a real ingredient you can find in a normal shop. Nothing artificial, no powders pretending to be sugar. Here is the full list, with the quantities I actually use.
- 1 cup (200 g) whole wheat berries (or spelt/farro), soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup (75 g) poppy seeds
- 1/3 cup (110 g) raw honey
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup warm water (to loosen)
- Pinch salt
How to make it
Drain the soaked wheat; simmer in fresh water 60–90 minutes until tender but chewy. Drain and cool.
Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds; soak 20 minutes, drain, then grind or blend to release their milk.
Warm the honey with a little water until pourable.
Combine wheat, poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins and salt; stir through the honey.
Loosen with warm water to a soft, spoonable pudding. Serve at room temperature.
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Storage
Keep it covered in the fridge and it will hold for three to four days. If you are making it ahead, hold back any fresh topping until just before you serve so nothing goes soft. Most of these freeze well too, wrapped tight, for up to three months.
Questions about this recipe
Is Kutia — Honeyed Wheat Berry & Poppy Pudding really made without refined sugar?
Yes. All the sweetness comes from honey - there is not one spoon of white sugar in it. That is the whole point of how I cook.
How long does Kutia — Honeyed Wheat Berry & Poppy Pudding keep?
Kept covered in the fridge it holds for three to four days. Most of these freeze well too, wrapped tight, for up to three months - hold back any fresh topping until just before serving.
How many does Kutia — Honeyed Wheat Berry & Poppy Pudding make?
This makes enough for 8. It scales cleanly, so use the 1x / 2x / 3x buttons on the recipe card if you need more or less.
Kutia — Honeyed Wheat Berry & Poppy Pudding
The most sacred dish of the Slavic Christmas Eve table — chewy wheat berries, poppy seeds, walnuts, honey and dried fruit. Each ingredient carries a wish: prosperity, unity…
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) whole wheat berries (or spelt/farro), soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup (75 g) poppy seeds
- 1/3 cup (110 g) raw honey
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup warm water (to loosen)
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Drain the soaked wheat; simmer in fresh water 60–90 minutes until tender but chewy. Drain and cool.
- Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds; soak 20 minutes, drain, then grind or blend to release their milk.
- Warm the honey with a little water until pourable.
- Combine wheat, poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins and salt; stir through the honey.
- Loosen with warm water to a soft, spoonable pudding. Serve at room temperature.
