Kutia Wigilijna (Polish Christmas Cooked Wheat Pudding) Recipe

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 12/23/21
Kutia Wigilijna, Polish Christmas Cooked Wheat Pudding

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Plus: 8 hrs
Total: 12 hrs
Servings: 6 servings

Polish kutia wigilijna or Christmas cooked wheat pudding, consisting of whole or cracked wheat or barley (rice for the aristocracy!), poppy seeds, honey, and sweetmeats (łakocie) like figs, raisins, and nuts, and sometimes cream, is typically the first course served at the Christmas Eve dinner known as ​wigilia.

Originally, kutia was eaten only in eastern Poland where it borders with Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania, but today it is becoming more popular throughout the entire country. The ingredients are variable depending on taste, availability of ingredients, and budget.

There are hundreds of variations for kutia, and it exists in other cultures including Russia and Ukraine where it is known as kutya or sochivo, Lithuania, and Slovakia. (Serbia—koljivo, Romania—coliva, Bulgaria—kolivo, Greece—kollyva, Middle East—kahmieh, Armenia—anoushabour.) 

Wheat berries are available at health food stores and online, but kamut berries, whole-grain barley or rice can be substituted with good effect (cooking time must be adjusted).

This recipe is an amalgamation of several from Robert and Maria Strybel's "Polish Heritage Cookery" (Hippocrene Books Inc., 1999).

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wheat berries, or kamut berries, rinsed

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup poppy seeds

  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

  • 4 tablespoons honey

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 lemon, zested

  • 2/3 cup plumped raisins

  • 1/2 cup ground walnuts, optional

  • 1/2 cup almonds, blanched and coarsely ground, optional

  • 5 plumped dried figs, chopped, optional

  • 5 plumped pitted dates, chopped, optional

  • 1/2 cup half-and-half

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make Polish Christmas cooked wheat pudding

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Place rinsed wheat berries in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water by about 5 inches. Stir, cover, and let stand overnight.

    A large pot of wheat berries and water

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. When ready to cook, drain the wheat berries, rinse, drain again and place back in the pot. Add 6 cups cold water and salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender (anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours). Drain and set aside to cool.

    A pot of wheat berries cooking in water

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Prepare poppy seeds by placing them in a saucepan with water to cover by several inches. Stir and let stand 20 minutes. Pour off any impurities that rise to the surface, then drain through a sieve, rinse under cold water and drain again. Return poppy seeds to the saucepan and scald with boiling water to cover by an inch. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

    A pot of poppy seeds and hot water

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Place saucepan on the burner, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Poppy seeds are ready when they can be pulverized between the fingers. Drain and grind once in a poppy seed grinder or 3 times in a regular grinder.

    A bowl of ground poppy seeds

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. In a large bowl, combine cooled, cooked wheat, ground poppy seeds, confectioners' sugar, honey, vanilla, zest, raisins and walnuts, almonds, figs, and dates, if using any or all.

    A large bowl of cooked wheat, ground poppy seeds, confectioners' sugar, honey, vanilla, zest, raisins and walnuts, almonds, figs, and dates

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  7. Mix well and add half and half, incorporating thoroughly.

    Half and half added to the wheat-poppy seed mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    A bowl of Polish Christmas cooked wheat pudding

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
327 Calories
12g Fat
52g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 327
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 198mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 7g 25%
Total Sugars 32g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 367mg 28%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 382mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)