Marianna Dushar is an independent Fulbright scholar and an anthropologist based in Lviv who writes under a pen name Pani Stefa. She has researched and recreated traditional Galician cuisine, travelled on gastronomic expeditions to America and even created a map of borscht. The pen name Pani Stefan turned into a blog and Ukraine's gastronomic legend. Pani Stefa will be delivering a virtual lecture "Christmas Stories of Galician Cuisine" which will take place on Monday, December 21 as part of the Ukrainian Program, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto. Pani Stefa shared a personal perspectives on Christmas traditions and a recipe for a true Christmas kolach.
Marianna Dushar writes on the Pani Stefa website:
For me, Christmas always begins after St. Nicholas Day. As soon as there is tangerine smell in the house, rustle of a package with candies under a pillow, it means that soon we will start to spruce up the house, put-up the Christmas tree, make kutia and prepare for the Holy Supper. Every family has their own Christmas traditions, and ours are not an exception.
At our house we put-up the Christmas tree before the New Year. Usually we decorate it with candies, nuts, tinsel and several big glass ornaments, which always remind me of my grandma. Sometime right after New Year I definitely pay a visit the Cathedral – pray, look at a crib with baby Jesus and listen to the organ. This is my personal tradition in commemorating my grandma, with whom we always visited the holy place. As a small girl, I remember the graceful nods of the porcelain angels when throwing a coin in the metal box.
The days prior to Christmas were always the busiest. There was always somebody preparing the poppy seeds for kutia or making varenyky. On Christmas Eve, we would cover the table with white tablecloth and place a kolach with a candle. Each corner of the table received a clove of garlic while under the table we placed hay. The table was always set with an additional setting for souls of those who passed away. We would begin the supper with a prayer and share the kutia. After greeting each other we would sing a traditional carol “The Eternal God” and my grandad would throw kutia to the ceiling.
Our kutia is quite dense. We soak the wheat for an entire night and then boil it in that water. Then we add well-grinded poppy seeds, honey, nuts and raisins. Sometimes we also add a rind of an orange for nice aroma. I remember, my grandma always baked kolaches based on a recipe from her pre-war notes from Kolomyia.
Making our traditional kolach:
For 1 kolach you need 1 liter of flour, 50 grams of yeast, spoon of sugar and enough milk to make this mixture as dense as sour cream.
Let it stand until it sours and then add 4 yolks, one third of a cup of melted butter, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of sugar.
Then start kneading the mixture until it starts unsticking from your hands. Cover it with tea towel and put in a warm place to rise. As soon as it rises and starts cracking – place it on the counter, divide into 3 or 4 parts to braid it. Place the braid on a baking pan and let it rise again.
Prior to baking apply egg wash and sprinkle poppy seeds. Bake in a hot oven until it turns crispy and light brown.
Enjoy!
Marianna Dushar will be delivering an online lecture on December 21, 2020 through the Ukrainian Program at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Toronto.
Virtual lecture will take place on December 21, 2020 at 2:00pm on Zoom. Please visit the Facebook page of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto to retrieve the codes for this event.
