The traditional Ukrainian Christmas wheat pudding is called kutia.
Kutia, also spelled kutya, is a ceremonial sweet grain dish made primarily from cooked wheat berries. Common additions include poppy seeds, honey or sugar, nuts, and sometimes raisins. Its ingredients vary by family and region, but the wheat base distinguishes it from better-known Ukrainian festive breads such as babka and paska.
In Ukrainian tradition, kutia is strongly associated with Christmas Eve, when it may be served as one of the first or most important dishes of the meatless Sviata Vecheria, or Holy Supper. The dish carries religious and seasonal symbolism: wheat represents life, fertility, and the agricultural cycle, while poppy seeds and honey add ceremonial richness.
Kutia is not exclusively Ukrainian. Related versions are traditional in Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, and parts of Russia, and the dish can also appear at memorial or funeral meals. That wider distribution explains alternate spellings and recipes, but “kutia” remains the standard English answer for the Ukrainian Christmas pudding.