Christmas sochivo rice - how to cook sochivo on Christmas Eve, a step by step recipe photos

Eve got its name from the ritual meals, which must necessarily be on the pre-Christmas and Christmas table - sochivo.

Sochivo - a steamed or cooked whole grains of wheat, rice, oats and other cereals, tucked poppy seeds, nuts, dried fruits and honey. In terms of composition and preparation technology is very similar to Christmas Pudding, so in some places it is served to the table it - there is no sin. How to cook rice sochivo I tell you today, in a detailed step by step recipe to make a photo.

Like other traditional ritual meals, sochivo encompasses the whole palette of characters. Whole grain symbolizes regeneration, sweetening agents - divine grace. But Mack, who, as a rule, do not add kutyu, is an ancient symbol of the sleep of death (poppy - flower pagan Slavic Mora Death), that is, as it were, a reminder of the transience of human earthly existence.

Like many other ritual dishes such as cheese Easter, sochivo start to prepare in advance of the day for two or three before Christmas Eve.

Sochivo to cook rice, we took unpolished (ie, maintaining the integrity of the shell), rice, dried fruits (apricots, raisins), nuts (almonds, walnuts), poppy seeds and honey. A set of dried fruits and nuts may be different, the taste and opportunities.

How to cook sochivo on Christmas Eve

Put to cook the rice, adding a pinch of salt, cinnamon stick and a few buds of clove.

Ready rice washed, discard in a sieve and remove who gave their flavor cinnamon and cloves.

On a glass dry rice which, when cooked increased in volume approximately two times, take on a handful of nuts, dried fruit and poppy.

Raisins, dried apricots and almonds pour boiling water and give stand - be melted. If almonds are bad depart skin, it will have more time to scald or boil a few minutes in the microwave. Mac, be sure to boil to soften 5-10 minutes.

soaked raisins and dried apricots and dried on my napkin. Apricots after obsushivaniya cut into fairly large pieces. With almond remove skin and cut in half. Walnuts are carefully sorted out, lightly fried and also cut. (You can use a blender for high volume) With steamed poppy pour out the excess water and crush in a mortar.

The poppy put 2-3 tablespoons of honey (to taste) and mix well to honey sold. You can take and sugar, but honey light acidity better with dried fruits.

Now we just have to mix things up, to shift into a container under the lid and put into the refrigerator for a couple of days for a taste of ripening. Unlike kuti that may be eaten immediately after cooking, sochivo takes time to oiliness poppy and nuts, honey, dried fruit sweetness and acid to create a harmonious bouquet and gave it boiled grain.

In the Christmas Eve, when the first star rises, everyone, before you start your meal, should always eat a couple spoons sochivo. After all, this holiday kutya, the most important of 12 meatless dishes on Christmas Day, is considered the key to prosperity and success in the coming year.