Kasha
Kasha is a cereal commonly eaten in Eastern Europe. In English, kasha generally refers to buckwheat groats, but in Slavic Europe, it refers to porridge in general and can be made from any cereal, especially buckwheat, wheat, barley, oats, millet and rye. At least a thousand years old, kasha is one of the oldest known dishes in Eastern European Slavic cuisine.[1]
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[edit] Usage
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). This Slavic variety of porridge has been described as "infinitely flexible – served sweet or savoury, as a meal unto itself, or as a side dish".[2]
The word in modern American English is commonly restricted to roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats. It is a common filling for a knish.[3] This usage probably originated with Jewish immigrants, as did the form "kashi" (technically plural, literally translated as "porridges").[4]
In Russian, buckwheat groats are referred to as гречка (grechka), and the porridge made from this is known as гречневая каша (grechnevaya kasha). In Polish, buckwheat porridge is referred to as kasza gryczana.
[edit] Alternative spellings
The word has different spellings in various languages:
- каша (variously transliterated as kasha, kacha, casha) in Belarusian, Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian
- каша and kaša in Serbian
- kasza, kaszka (diminutive form) in Polish
- hreczanyki (khretchaniky) in Polish (buckwheat burgers), Sanok region
- kaša in Croatian, Slovak, and Slovene
- kaše, kašička (diminutive form) in Czech
- košė in Lithuanian
- kása in Hungarian
[edit] In Slavic culture
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 staples", or more loosely, "cabbage soup and porridge are all we need to live on".
[edit] In Jewish culture
As an Ashkenazi-Jewish "soul food", kasha is often served with onions and brown gravy on top of bow tie pasta, known as Kasha varnishkes (or Kasha varnishkas). Kasha is also a popular filling for knishes and is sometimes included in matzah-ball soup.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Molokhovets, Elena (1998). Classic Russian Cooking. Indiana University Press. p. 331.
- ^ Mack, Glenn Randall; Surina, Asele (2005). Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia. Greenwood Press. p. 22. ISBN 0313327734.
- ^ [1]. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
- ^ Steinmetz, Sol. Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms. p. 42. ISBN 0742543870.
[edit] External links
- Firm kasha How to make kasha that isn't sticky.
- Kasha Varnishkes recipe
- aboutkasha.com - Kasha recipes and cooking tips
