Twelve Dishes of Nativity Eve

Ingredients

• Kutia (wheat, honey and poppy seed)
• Uzvar (dried-fruit drink)
• Lenten borscht with vushka
• Potato varenyky
• Cabbage holubtsi
• Mushroom sauce
• Fried or pickled fish, where the family keeps that custom
• Pickled mushrooms and sauerkraut
• Bean dish (fasolia or prebranac)
• Pampushky
• Honey cake or pryaniki
• Dried fruit and nuts

Method

1. Cook the kutia, uzvar and pickles a day or two ahead.
2. Make the varenyky, vushka and holubtsi the day before and keep them in the fridge.
3. On the eve, cook the borscht and sauces and fry the fish.
4. Set a place for departed family, light a candle, and begin with kutia when the first star rises.

Tip. Twelve dishes for the twelve apostles. Every recipe here is also in the archive.