zlyvana kasha — Karnaukhivka, Ukraine

Zlyvana kasha is made by cooking buckwheat or millet into a thick porridge, then binding it with egg and milk and baking the mixture until it sets into a dense, sliceable cake rather than staying loose like a bowl of porridge. This version is prepared in Karnaukhivka, a village in the Poltava region of central Ukraine, where the dish is associated with home cooking in the surrounding countryside and is generally served as part of a family meal rather than a restaurant dish. The grain is first simmered in salted water or milk until soft and thick, then cooled slightly before beaten egg and a little more milk are worked in. The mixture is spread into a greased dish and baked until the top turns golden and the inside firms into a cake that holds together when sliced. Set beside a plain bowl of buckwheat or millet porridge, this baked version is denser and can be cut into pieces, closer to a savory cake than a breakfast cereal, and it is often finished with a spoonful of sour cream or a little butter on top. Households vary the ratio of grain to egg and the choice between buckwheat and millet.