In Ukraine, the traditional Christmas dish of boiled wheat with poppy seeds and honey is called kutia.
Kutia is a sweet ceremonial grain dish and one of the essential foods at the Ukrainian Christmas Eve supper, known as Sviata Vecheria. Its core ingredients are wheat berries, poppy seeds, and honey; walnuts, raisins, and other dried fruit may also be added.
The dish has both religious and seasonal symbolism. Wheat represents life and the agricultural cycle, while poppy seeds and honey are associated with abundance, prosperity, and remembrance. In some Ukrainian households, the first spoonful is offered symbolically to deceased family members, and kutia is traditionally the first of the Christmas Eve dishes to be tasted.
Kutia is a fasting food, so traditional versions contain no milk or eggs. It should not be confused with kasha, a broader term for grain porridge, or kolyvo, a related Ukrainian ritual dish generally prepared without poppy seeds and served at remembrance ceremonies.