Kasha to Take Your Troubles Away

There is an idiomatic phrase in Russian, zavarit kashu. It means, literally, to cook kasha (cereal grains). But figuratively it means “to stir up trouble.”  Interestingly, the following recipe for Gurievskaya kasha, if followed properly, will have exactly the opposite effect – something to keep in mind what with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. 

Gurievskaya kasha is not your typical hearty, buttery Russian kasha, like grechnevaya (buckwheat) or pshennaya (wheat berry). Rather, Gurievskaya kasha is an exquisite hot dessert crafted from multiple layers of mannaya (semolina) kasha. 

It’s true that mannaya kasha is not exactly a revered food among older and middle-aged Russians. It was the ubiquitous meal forced upon them every morning by anxious parents. Hence the popular idiom in response to someone’s attempt to force something on you:  “Why do you stuff me with this as if it were mannaya kasha?”