Holy Evening, Christmas Eve, Viliya, Rich Kutya – Christmas day and evening, a great holiday that falls on the last day of Pilipivsky Pist, so they prepare only festing dishes. We remembered the traditions, and at the same time prepared a selection of dishes that are traditionally prepared in the Zhytomyr region
Our ancestors traditionally got up at dawn on this day to prepare kutya: women washed uncrushed groats and put them in the oven, children peeled and chopped nuts, rubbed poppy seeds in makita. The men prepared a sieve – kneaded honeycombs in a bowl, poured boiling water, from which the wax melted and floated. After cooling, the wax was collected from the surface of the water, and the resulting sieve was then filled into kutya.
Cooked kutya and compote in the morning took an honorable place on the table under the images – at penance. The table was also decorated, sprinkling with clean hay, on which was placed a clean tablecloth and embroidered towel. The boy from the family or the owner himself did not necessarily bring a bowl or a pot with kutya to the table with his bare hands. Young children had fun, but it made special sense: the kids had to croak so that the chickens would behave well next year. The owner said: «How many kutyas in this pot, so many that I had calves and lambs, chickens and piglets, geese and ducklings!». Saying: «Go, kutya, to pokutya, and compote – to the bazaar!», The hostess immediately covered kutya with three round cakes for dinner. On this day they did not eat breakfast or lunch, they fed only small children. Compote in a jug was placed in the corner, and next to it there was a brightly decorated didukh, which was supposed to help the owners to increase the family and wealth. The day before the Holy Supper was considered ordinary. They sat down to dinner when the first star rose in the sky. Rich Kutya is a purely family holiday, when the family gathers together whenever possible, and even for absent family members, a spoon is placed on the table this evening. Guests were not usually invited, but if someone came in unexpectedly, they were always invited to the table. Our ancestors believed that an unexpected guest would bring prosperity and happiness to the house. Dinner began with a prayer and a candle was lit.
Twelve dishes were served before the Holy Supper, including pies or knushi, lean borsch with beans, mushrooms or fish. Borsch was served with cabbage rolls with millet or buckwheat porridge, dumplings with cabbage, potatoes, porridge, beans, which were prepared with roast or sweet with poppy seeds or berries, crushed dried pears – «ears» or «powder». They also made «ears» with mushrooms – they prepared dough like dumplings, only they didn’t put eggs in it during Lent. They also fried fish chips or minced meat, or prepared «fish gems» – fish jellies. Hot potatoes, stewed cabbage with mushrooms, pancakes with lean filling – poppy seeds with honey, dried crushed pears or baked pumpkin with honey were placed on the festive table. Cabbage with oil and onions, pickles and soaked apples were also available.
Among the traditional Ukrainian dishes served on holidays are those prepared in the Zhytomyr region. You may already know these recipes well, or you may see them for the first time. However, you will know for sure that these dishes can be a business card of your holiday table.
Cabbage in brine
Washed cobs of cabbage put in boiling salted water and cook until tender, and after cooling put in cucumber brine for 12 hours. When serving, cut into large pieces, season with oil, ground pepper and garlic.
Polissya soup
Prepare beans in advance – it should be soaked in cold water for a couple of hours before cooking. Then boil the mushrooms and fry a little chopped carrots and onions in oil. Boil fish broth, for which fresh-frozen hake, pollock or blue whiting are suitable. Add beans and potatoes to the boiling broth, and when they are almost done – toasted vegetables and mushrooms. When serving, do not forget to decorate with fresh herbs.
Derynu stuffed with mushrooms
Grate raw peeled potatoes, squeeze and salt – this is a lean option. When the fast is over, add sour cream and eggs to the prepared mass. Pre-boil dried mushrooms, cool and chop. From the mushroom broth a little later, prepare a sauce for stewing, and while frying in oil a little onion. Fry potato pancakes in a frying pan, spreading an oval pancake from the potato mass, on which put the minced mushrooms and cover with potato mass. Ready potato pancakes are stewed for half an hour in a sauce prepared on the basis of mushroom broth.
Holybtsi with potatoes
Let’s start with minced meat. Grate raw potatoes on a fine grater, like potato pancakes, squeeze and add pre-fried onions and boiled and chopped mushrooms. Put minced meat on the prepared cabbage leaves (boiled in salted water) and wrap like an envelope. Fry the formed rolls a little on both sides and place in a deep pan. Add vegetable or mushroom broth and simmer in the oven for about an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste to each dish.
May your Christmas Eve in the family circle be kind and generous with faith in future prosperity:
Bring forth, O God, rye-wheat,
Rye-wheat, all pastures,
Without a kykol, without a broom,
And give us palianytsia.
