What we call Buckwheat Merchant Style is, in Russian, Grechka po-kupechski alias Гречка по-купечески.
▶Buckwheat is a pseudocereal and in Russia, it is mostly prepared as porridge in various ways and is known as “grechka,” meaning “Greek grain.”
⭐It appears in an ancient saying used by Russians:
“Grechka is our mother and rye bread is our father”⭐
▶Russia is the world’s largest producer and consumer of buckwheat, which has been the main source of nourishment for Russians for centuries since they began cultivating it in the 1400s.
▶The most popular kasha recipe in Russia is buckwheat cooked with butter.
In merchant style, it is prepared by cooking it with pork, onion, and carrot.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Russian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups buckwheat
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 10 oz pork (ground or in small pieces)
- 2 1/2 cups meat broth (or hot water)
- to taste vegetable oil
- to taste salt and pepper
Steps
Toast the buckwheat.
Sauté the onion and carrot in a drizzle of oil.
Add the pork, season with salt and pepper, the buckwheat, and finally the broth (or water) – buckwheat: water ratio, 1:2 –
Cook for about 20 minutes.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is a “kasha”?
It is a variety of porridge usually made from buckwheat. Common for centuries across almost all of Eastern Europe, its meaning has evolved to also include other types of grains such as: oats, rye, barley, and millet semolina.
What are the other pseudocereals?
Among the most well-known besides buckwheat: amaranth, quinoa and chia.
