Kutia is a traditional Polish dessert enjoyed during Christmas celebrations. It’s a sweet dish made from cooked wheat grains, mixed with honey, poppy seeds, dried fruit, and nuts. It’s rich, sweet, full of soft dried fruit and crunchy grains and nuts. I’m sure you will like it, especially if you like poppy seed roll (it tastes very similar).
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Wheat berries – a traditional ingredient in this recipe. If you really can’t find them, you can try substituting other grains such as pearl barley, millet, buckwheat, bulgur, or pearl couscous. I think bulgur would be the best substitute.
- Poppy seeds – another very traditional ingredient, can’t be omitted! You can buy whole poppy seeds or (preferably) ground poppy seeds.
- Honey – sweetens this dessert and adds amazing flavor. I can’t really imagine kutia without it.
- Nuts – use what you like. I added walnuts and almonds.
- Dried fruit – use whatever dried fruit you like. I used raisins (very traditional), cranberries, and dried apricots (less traditional).
- Flavorings – almond extract (really makes a difference in my opinion and flavors the whole dessert), orange extract (recommended but optional), vanilla extract or vanilla bean (I like to splurge here since this is a Christmas dessert, but regular vanilla extract will be just fine), freshly grated orange zest (optional, you could also add candied orange peel which is often added to this recipe).
- Heavy cream – is added for a rich flavor and mouthfeel and to make the dessert less thick and dry. It is optional.
How to make it step-by-step
STEP 1: Soak wheat berries: rinse wheat berries on a sieve, put in a medium/large bowl, cover with cold water (about 2 inches or 5 cm above the level of wheat berries), and let to soak for 8-10 hours.
STEP 2: Cook wheat berries: Drain and discard the water. Add wheat berries to a pot and cover with fresh water (about 3 cups). Cook for 30-45 minutes. (it can take for up to 3-4 if you have a hard variety of wheat berries, just try if the berries are soft). Drain and set aside.
STEP 3: Prepare poppy seeds:
Ground poppy seeds: Add poppy seeds to a medium bowl and pour in 3/4 cup boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drain on a sieve, but not very thoroughly, discard excess water. They are ready to use.
Whole poppy seeds: cook them for 5 min, drain excess water but not thoroughly, poppy seeds still need to be wet.
Ground in the meat grinder or a good food processor (only if using whole poppy seeds, not poppy seeds that are already ground). If it is too difficult, add a small amount of water. It should have a paste consistency but be still slightly chunky.
STEP 5+6: Prepare nuts: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread walnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Chop roughly.
STEP 7+8: Prepare dried fruit: add raisins, apricots, and cranberries to boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes, drain and roughly chop.
STEP 9: Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds.
STEP 10: In a small pot, warm up the honey until warm and melted.
STEP 11+12: Assemble: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl, and stir until well combined. Place in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to meld, for a couple of hours.
Remove from the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Note about heavy cream: If you haven’t drained your poppy seeds well and they are watery, you may need to not add it at all. On the other hand, if you have dried your poppy seeds too thoroughly, you may need to add some more heavy cream if the dessert is too dry.
Storage
Kutia dessert stores really well and actually tastes better the next day. Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Polish Christmas Recipes
- Sauerkraut Mushroom Buns (Polish Kapuśniaczki / Paszteciki)
- Polish Christmas Eve Mushroom Soup (Zupa Grzybowa Wigilijna)
- Polish Fish with Vegetable Topping (Ryba Po Grecku)
- Grzane Wino (Polish Mulled Wine)
- Piernik – Polish Gingerbread Loaf
- Sernik – Polish Cheesecake Recipe
- Krokiety recipe (Polish croquettes)
- Polish Christmas Eve Borscht Recipe (Barszcz Wigilijny) – VIDEO
- Uszka – mushroom-filled pierogi for Christmas Eve Borscht (video)
- Sauerkraut and Mushroom Pierogi
See all our Polish Christmas recipes.
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Kutia (Polish Christmas Dessert)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (190g) wheat berries you can also use bulgur
- 1 cup whole poppy seeds (150g) or 1 1/2 cups of ground poppy seeds (150g)
- 1/2 cup (65g) raisins
- 1/4 cup (45g) dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup (45g) dried apricots
- 3/4 cup (100g) skinless whole almonds
- 1/2 cup (50g) walnuts
- 1/2 cup (160g) honey
- 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
- zest grated from 2 oranges or you can add some candied orange zest
- 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream optional
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract optional
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract highly recommended
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
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Instructions
- Soak wheat berries: rinse wheat berries on a sieve, put in a medium/large bowl, cover with cold water (about 2 inches or 5 cm above the level of wheat berries), and let to soak for 8-10 hours.1 cup (190g) wheat berries
- Cook wheat berries: Drain and discard the water. Add wheat berries to a pot and cover with fresh water (about 3 cups). Cook for 30-45 minutes. (it can take for up to 3-4 if you have a hard variety of wheat berries, just try if the berries are soft). Drain and set aside.
- Prepare poppy seeds:1 cup whole poppy seeds (150g) or 1 1/2 cups of ground poppy seeds (150g)
- If using round poppy seeds: Add poppy seeds to a medium bowl and pour in 3/4 cup boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drain on a sieve, but not very thoroughly, discard excess water. They are ready to use.
- If using whole poppy seeds: cook them for 5 min, drain excess water but not thoroughly, poppy seeds still need to be wet. Ground in the meat grinder or a good food processor (only if using whole poppy seeds, not poppy seeds that are already ground). If it is too difficult, add a small amount of water. It should have a paste consistency but be still slightly chunky (check out photos in the body of the post for reference).
- Prepare nuts: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread walnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Chop roughly.3/4 cup (100g) skinless whole almonds, 1/2 cup (50g) walnuts
- Prepare dried fruit: add raisins, apricots, and cranberries to boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes, drain and roughly chop.1/2 cup (65g) raisins, 1/4 cup (45g) dried cranberries, 1/4 cup (45g) dried apricots
- In a small pot, warm up the honey until warm and melted.1/2 cup (160g) honey
- Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds.1 vanilla bean
- Assemble: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and stir until well combined. Place in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to meld, for a couple of hours.1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar, zest grated from 2 oranges, 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream, 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Remove from the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Heavy cream is added for a rich flavor and mouthfeel and to make the dessert less thick and dry. It is optional. If you haven’t drained your poppy seeds well and they are watery, you may need to not add it at all. On the other hand, if you have dried your poppy seeds too thoroughly, you may need to add some more heavy cream if the dessert is too dry.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/8 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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