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Kasha is a porridge
Porridge

Porridge, or porage, is a simple dish made by boiling oats or another cereal in water, milk, or both. It is eaten in a flat bowl or a dish....
 commonly eaten in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
. In English, kasha generally refers to buckwheat
Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
 groat
Groat

Groat is the traditional name of an England silver coin worth four History of the English penny, and also a Scottish coinage originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and a shilling....
s, but in Slavic countries, kasha refers to porridge in general, and can be made from any cereal
Cereal

Cereals, or cereal grains, are mostly Poaceae cultivated for their edible brans or fruit seeds . Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more energy worldwide than any other type of crop; they are therefore staple foods....
, especially buckwheat
Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
, wheat
Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
, barley
Barley

Barley is an annual plant cereal grain derived from the grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food, as well as the making of alcoholic beverages beer and whisky....
, oats, and rye
Rye

Rye is a Poaceae grown extensively as a grain and forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some rye whiskey, some vodkas, and animal fodder....
. It is one of the oldest known dishes in the Slavic cuisines of the Eastern European cuisine
Eastern European cuisine

Eastern European cuisine is the cuisine of Eastern Europe.Since the cuisine of a country is strongly influenced by its climate, however, the term is of limited usefulness....
, at least a thousand years old.

meaning of the word kasha in Slavic languages does not refer specifically to buckwheat groats, but a whole family of porridge
Porridge

Porridge, or porage, is a simple dish made by boiling oats or another cereal in water, milk, or both. It is eaten in a flat bowl or a dish....
s (although buckwheat porridge was one of the earliest known examples of kasha).






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Kasha is a porridge
Porridge

Porridge, or porage, is a simple dish made by boiling oats or another cereal in water, milk, or both. It is eaten in a flat bowl or a dish....
 commonly eaten in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
. In English, kasha generally refers to buckwheat
Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
 groat
Groat

Groat is the traditional name of an England silver coin worth four History of the English penny, and also a Scottish coinage originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and a shilling....
s, but in Slavic countries, kasha refers to porridge in general, and can be made from any cereal
Cereal

Cereals, or cereal grains, are mostly Poaceae cultivated for their edible brans or fruit seeds . Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more energy worldwide than any other type of crop; they are therefore staple foods....
, especially buckwheat
Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
, wheat
Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
, barley
Barley

Barley is an annual plant cereal grain derived from the grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food, as well as the making of alcoholic beverages beer and whisky....
, oats, and rye
Rye

Rye is a Poaceae grown extensively as a grain and forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some rye whiskey, some vodkas, and animal fodder....
. It is one of the oldest known dishes in the Slavic cuisines of the Eastern European cuisine
Eastern European cuisine

Eastern European cuisine is the cuisine of Eastern Europe.Since the cuisine of a country is strongly influenced by its climate, however, the term is of limited usefulness....
, at least a thousand years old.

Usage

The meaning of the word kasha in Slavic languages does not refer specifically to buckwheat groats, but a whole family of porridge
Porridge

Porridge, or porage, is a simple dish made by boiling oats or another cereal in water, milk, or both. It is eaten in a flat bowl or a dish....
s (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, a meal unto itself, or as a side dish".

The word "kasha" (from Polish
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 kasza) in modern American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
 is commonly restricted to roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats
Groats

Groats are the hulled grains of various cereals, such as oats, wheat, barley or buckwheat. Groats from oats are a good source of avenanthramide....
. It is a common filling for a knish
Knish

A knish is an Eastern European and Yiddish snack food made popular in North America by Jewish immigrants. A knish consists of a filling covered with dough that is either baked or fried....
. This usage probably originated with Jewish immigrants, as did the form "kashi" (technically plural, literally translating into "porridges").

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

Kasha in Slavic culture

A traditional Russian fairy tale speaks of a hungry soldier who promised to prepare kasha from an axe
Axe

The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for Millennium to shape, split and cut wood, harvest Lumber, as a weapon and a ceremony or Heraldry symbol....
 in order to coax food from a stingy but curious woman.

The centrality of kasha in the traditional Eastern European diet is also commemorated in the Russian proverb "?? ?? ???? — ???? ????", literally "shchi
Shchi

File:Schi.jpgShchi is a soup with cabbage as the primary ingredient. It is very popular in Russia.Generally it is made with either cabbage or sauerkraut and other winter vegetables, although meat can be added....
 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 example of "soul food
Soul food

Soul food is an American cuisine, a selection of foods, and is the traditional cuisine of African-Americans of the Southern United States and of black communities beyond....
", kasha is often served with onions and brown gravy
Gravy

Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. It is a smooth, non-chunky liquid. Ready-made bouillon cube and powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts....
 and bow tie pasta
Farfalle

Farfalle is a type of pasta. Commonly known as "bow-tie pasta," the name is derived from the Italian language word farfalla . The "e" at the end of the word is the Italian feminine plural ending, making the meaning of the word "butterflies."...
, 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:

  • ???? (variously transliterated as kasha, kacha, casha) in Belarusian
    Belarusian language

    The Belarusian language, or Belorussian is the language of the Belarusians and is spoken in Belarus and abroad, chiefly in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland....
    , Bulgarian
    Bulgarian language

    Bulgarian is an Indo-European languages, a member of the Slavic languages linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except Macedonian language, such as the elimination of grammatical case, the development of a suffixed definite article , the lack of a verb infin...
    , Russian
    Russian language

    Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
     and Ukrainian
    Ukrainian language

    Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic languages of the Slavic languages. It is the official language of Ukraine. In some areas of Russia there are dialects, Balachka or Surzhyk, which are the Ukrainianized versions of the Russian language....
  • ???? and kaša in Serbian
    Serbian language

    name=Serbian|nativename=|pronunciation=['sr?pski?]|familycolor=Indo-European|map=|states=See below under "Official status", besides that in Croatia and as an immigrant's language spread over Central Europe and Western Europe, as well as Northern America...
  • kasza in Polish
    Polish language

    Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
  • kaša in Croatian
    Croatian language

    Croatian language is a South Slavic languages which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in neighbouring countries where Croats are Indigenous peoples, in Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croats diaspora....
    , Slovak
    Slovak language

    The Slovak language , sometimes incorrectly called ?Slovakian?, is an Indo-European languages that belongs to the West Slavic languages .The Czech and Slovak languages are Mutual intelligibility which means that even after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia Czech may be used in all official proceedings and documents in Slovakia, and vice ver...
    , Slovenian
    Slovenian language

    Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic languages spoken by approximately 2.4 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia....
    ,
  • kaše, kašicka (diminutive form) in Czech
    Czech language

    Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czech people worldwide....
    ,
  • kása in Hungarian
    Hungarian language

    Hungarian is a Uralic languages unrelated to most other languages in Europe. It is mainly spoken in Hungary and by the Hungarian minorities in the seven neighbouring countries....


See also

  • Jewish cuisine
    Jewish cuisine

    Jewish cuisine is a collection of international cookery traditions linked by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish holiday traditions. Certain foods, notably pork and shellfish, are forbidden; meat and dairy may not be combined, and meat must be Ritual slaughter and salted to remove all traces of blood....
  • Polish cuisine
    Polish cuisine

    Polish cuisine is a mixture of Slavs and Germanic culinary traditions. It is rich in meat, especially chicken and pork, and winter vegetables , and spices, as well as different kinds of noodles the most notable of which are the pierogi....
  • Russian cuisine
    Russian cuisine

    Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multicultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game , mushrooms, Berry, and honey....
  • Ukrainian cuisine
    Ukrainian cuisine

    Ukrainian cuisine has a rich history and offers a wide variety of dishes. The cuisine of modern Ukraine is based on traditional Ukrainian recipes, Ukrainian recipes also bears influences from its neighbors' cuisines like Russian cuisine, German cuisine, Turkish cuisine and Polish cuisine, Lithuanian cuisine, and what can be called the Soviet...


External links

  • How to make kasha that isn't sticky.