Kasha

Kasha is a porridge commonly eaten in Eastern Europe. In English, "kasha" generally refers to buckwheat groats, but in Slavic countries, "kasha" refers to porridge in general, and can be made from any cereal, especially buckwheat, wheat, barley, oats, and rye. It is one of the oldest known dishes in the Slavic cuisines of the Eastern European cuisine, at least a thousand years old. [Molokhovets, Elena. "Classic Russian Cooking". Indiana University Press, 1998. Page 331.] [http://www.wonder.ru/alex/pohlebkin/hleb/grech.htm]

Usage

The meaning of the word "kasha" in Slavic languages does not refer specifically to buckwheat groats, but a whole family of porridges (although buckwheat porridge was one of the earliest known examples of "kasha"). [http://www.wonder.ru/alex/pohlebkin/hleb/grech.htm] This Slavic variety of porridge has been described as "infinitely flexible - served sweet or savoury, a meal unto itself, or as a side dish". [Quoted from: Glenn Randall Mack, Asele Surina. "Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia". Greenwood Press, 2005. ISBN 0313327734. Page 22.]

The word "kasha" (from Polish Kasza or Russian каша) in modern American English is commonly restricted to roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats. It is a common filling for a knish. [http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/knishkas.htm - Retrieved: May 30, 2007] This usage probably originated with Jewish immigrants, as did the form "kashi" (technically plural, literally translating into "porridges"). [Steinmetz, Sol. "Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms". ISBN 0742543870. Page 42.]

In Russian, buckwheat groats are referred to as "gréčka", and the porridge made from this is known as "gréčnevaja káša".

Varieties

Kasha can be made from any grain and sometimes includes even non-grains, such as potatoes and beans. Kasha can be made either savory, with the addition of salt, or sweet, with the addition of sugar, honey, or jam.

*Buckwheat
*Wheat flour, made from semolina and generally served to children (similar to Cream of Wheat)
*Barley
*Oats (oatmeal)
*Rice

Kasha can also be made from maize, millet, potatoes and mung beans.

"Guryevskaya Kasha" is believed to have been invented by the chef of the Russian Minister of Finance Dmitry Guryev in the early 1800s. The exact recipe is rather complex, but essentially it is a viscous semolina porridge, mixed with sugar, vanilla, nuts and pieces of fruit (apricots). [http://www.gotovim.ru/national/russian/1336.shtml - Retrieved: May 30, 2007]

Kasha in Slavic culture

A traditional Russian fairy tale speaks of a hungry soldier who promised to prepare kasha from an axe in order to coax food from a stingy but curious woman. [http://www.ncee.net/ei/lessons/_resourcesAtoZ/1-56183-618-4_03.pdf - Retrieved: May 30, 2007]

The centrality of "kasha" in the traditional Eastern European diet is also commemorated in the Russian proverb "щи да каша — пища наша", literally "shchi and kasha are our food" and more loosely, "cabbage soup and porridge are all we need to live on."

Kasha in Jewish culture

As a Jewish answer to "soul food," kasha is often served with onions and brown gravy and bow tie pasta, known as "kasha varnishkes". It is also a popular filling for knishes and is sometimes included in matzo ball soup.

Alternative spellings

The word can have various spellings, depending on the country of origin:

*"каша" (variously transliterated as "kasha", "kacha", "casha") in Belarusian, Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian
*"каша" and "kaša" in Serbian
*"kasza" in Polish
*"košė" in Lithuanian,
*"kaša" in Croatian, Slovak, Slovenian,
*"kaše, kašička" (diminutive form) in Czech,
*"kása" in Hungarian

See also

* Jewish cuisine
* Polish cuisine
* Russian cuisine
* Ukrainian cuisine

References

External links

* [http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2004/12/madeleines-shmadeleines-kasha.html Kasha Varnishkes recipe]
* [http://www.aboutkasha.com aboutkasha.com - Kasha recipes and cooking tips]