Khrystos Razhdaietsia! Its Ukrainian Christmas. Most of my favorite memories of celebrating Ukrainian Christmas revolve around the meal on Christmas eve at my Granny’s house. A large family gathering, filled with Aunts, Uncles and cousins. And of course my Granny. The traditional meal was always twelve meatless dishes, Pedohay, Holopchi, Boiled Wheat, Stewed prunes, Fussuli with Chesnac, baked fish and others. I’ll confess right now that I’d give up state secrets for a dish of boiled wheat, which is wheat boiled in honey with poppy seeds or gumdrops.
There was always carolers from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and I loved the sweet Harmony of Ukrainian Carols. It would be great to be home with family tonight. I know I’d be stuffed full of great food and love. Merry Christmas
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I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever eaten food I couldn’t pronounce… Anyway, Khrystos Razhdaietsia!
Khrystos Razhdaietsia!
We ate food that we couldn’t pronounce when my grandmother cooked, too! She was from Galicia, Austria (later became Poland). The dishes were always rich and yummy.
Someone to eat the kutia!
The first year I made the Christmas Eve twelve meatless dishes (for my husband, who is half Ukrainian, and my girls) we were in Yellowknife. I prepared everything per directions in my Ukrainian Daughter’s Cookbook, including the three-tiered bread with doves. Somehow I didn’t notice that the portions were rather healthy — far too much for our family of four.
Jim and the girls ate most of what I prepared with gusto, but no-one wanted more than a taste of the kutia. All that wheat and poppy-seed…such a healthy dish, I didn’t want to just throw it out. Instead, I decided to feed it to the ravens, who would (I figured) no doubt appreciate it.
Still warm, I set it on a paper plate on our back deck. I watched as a raven finally landed, looked at it, and flew away. Not even the ravens would eat my kutia! Or so I thought…later I looked again, and saw the kutia was gone — plate and all!
You see, instead of flying away with a warm beakful, the clever bird waited and took the whole frozen plateful.
I had plenty of kutia, as mentioned, and we were able to repeat this performance for several days after.
Slevete y’oho.
I’ve eaten lots of food I couldn’t pronounce pohanginapete. Always had a rather adventurous appetite when travelling. But paid for it on more than one occasion.
Pedohay is what we call perohgies, and holopchi are cabbage rolls. My personal preference runs to the sour version of cabbage rolls.
I’d love to get a copy of that cookbook Anita. I can do Pedohay (usually with a dill cream sauce) and holopchi, but my attempts at things like Peroshie ended in miserable failures. Kolache, I never even made the attempt. Oh and BTW, if ever you make too much kutia again, forget the ravens, send it this way!!! Lucky ravens.
sounds like a meal fit for a king- I’d love to try Ukraine food someday.. and LOL at R.D- those ravens are clever birds and know a good meal when they see/smell it.
Glad you had a joyous Christmas Clare 🙂
I found my copy in second hand shop somewhere, but I see it is still available:
http://www.uocregina.ca/UWAC.htm#5
You bet, I’ll send you some kutia next time I make it 🙂 Kolache too! (The directions in the cookbook make it easy — really!)