Kasha

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Name Variations

 * kasza
 * roasted buckwheat groats
 * toasted buckwheat groats

About Kasha
Wikipedia Article About Kasha on Wikipedia

The word "kasha" (kasza in Polish, каша in Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian) is commonly used in modern English to describe roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats. This is an old Slavic term and sometimes it is used in its original meaning—a meal that consists of boiled buckwheat, sometimes mixed with milk, or baked with butter and salt. This is one of the oldest known meals in Eastern European cuisine, at least a thousand years old, and second in its significance only to bread. It is a common filling for a knish.

Today, the meaning of the word kasha is extended to include a whole family of porridges, from oatmeal to boiled millet and rice. One notable Russian example is "Guryevskaya Kasha", which is believed to have been invented by the chef of Russian Minister of Finance Dmitry Guryev in early 1800s. The exact recipe is rather complex, but essentially it is a viscous semolina porridge, mixed with sugar, vanilla, nuts and pieces of fruit (apricots).

Kasha is also a female name in some parts of the world.