flipBuckwheat kasha (gretchnevaya kasha)
Buckwheat kasha (gretchnevaya kasha)
Why this dish? Evacuated from besieged Leningrad to Kuybyshev in 1941, it was with this humble porridge, which keeps and reheats, that he completed his Seventh Symphony "Leningrad".
Toasted buckwheat groats, swelled in water then melted in butter: a rustic, nutty, nourishing porridge. Eaten hot with butter, warm on a journey, it accompanies any main dish.
When we were evacuated from Leningrad to Kuybyshev, in the middle of the war, it was buckwheat kasha that kept us on our feet. It cooks with almost nothing, keeps, reheats, is eaten warm even in the train car. I finished my Seventh Symphony there, my stomach lined by this unpretentious porridge. Do not despise it: it has fed entire armies — and a few musicians.
- •Buckwheat (gretchka) — a bowl (base grain)
- •Water or broth — twice the volume (cooking)
- •Butter — a good knob (richness, binder)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- •Onion (variation) — one, softened (aroma)
Buckwheat kasha (gretchnevaya kasha)
Toasted buckwheat groats, swelled in water then melted in butter: a rustic, nutty, nourishing porridge. Eaten hot with butter, warm on a journey, it accompanies any main dish.
Why this dish? Evacuated from besieged Leningrad to Kuybyshev in 1941, it was with this humble porridge, which keeps and reheats, that he completed his Seventh Symphony "Leningrad".
When we were evacuated from Leningrad to Kuybyshev, in the middle of the war, it was buckwheat kasha that kept us on our feet. It cooks with almost nothing, keeps, reheats, is eaten warm even in the train car. I finished my Seventh Symphony there, my stomach lined by this unpretentious porridge. Do not despise it: it has fed entire armies — and a few musicians.
Ingredients (period version)
- Buckwheat (gretchka) — a bowl (base grain)
- Water or broth — twice the volume (cooking)
- Butter — a good knob (richness, binder)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Onion (variation) — one, softened (aroma)
Ingredients
- Toasted buckwheat (kasha) — 200 g (grain)
- Water or vegetable broth — 400 ml (cooking)
- Butter — 30 g (creaminess)
- Onion — 1, sliced and softened (aroma)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Dill or smetana — for serving (finishing (optional))
Method
- Rinse the buckwheat; dry-toast it for 2 minutes to revive its nutty flavor (if not already toasted).
- Pour in boiling salted water or broth; cover and cook on very low heat 15 minutes without stirring, until absorbed.
- Off heat, let it steam 5 minutes with lid on.
- Fry the onion in butter separately; fluff into the grains with a fork.
- Serve hot with a pat of butter, or warm for travel; smetana and dill optional.
How it was made : Buckwheat is the quintessential Russian food: cheap, filling, cold-resistant. It was the ration of soldier and peasant alike, and an ideal camping food because it travels raw and cooks anywhere. During the war, it became a daily treasure.
The contemporary twist : A few sautéed mushrooms mixed into the kasha turn it into a complete vegetarian dish with a woody flavor — a "forest kasha" worthy of a winter dinner.
Sources : « Kniga o vkousnoï i zdorovoï pichtche », 1939
Dmitri Shostakovich · Charactorium
