Banosh with cracklings
4 servings
40 minutes
Banosh with cracklings is a traditional dish of Ukrainian cuisine, especially popular in the Carpathians. Its roots go back to ancient times when mountain dwellers prepared this nutritious porridge based on cornmeal and sour cream. Banosh has a delicate, creamy texture, and its rich flavor is complemented by crispy cracklings, tangy brynza cheese, and aromatic mushrooms. This dish is simple to prepare but has a rich and multifaceted taste. It is perfect for a cozy family dinner or a village feast, conveying the warmth of home and ancestral traditions. Banosh is eaten in a special way—without mixing the ingredients but choosing each separately to enjoy their unique notes. Hearty, tasty, and warming, it symbolizes the culinary heritage of the Ukrainian people.
1
Banosh is prepared in a cauldron or in a pot with thick walls.
2
Bring the sour cream to a boil and gradually add the cornmeal mixed with salt and sugar in a thin stream, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon in one direction.
- Farmer's sour cream: 1 kg
- Corn grits: 2 glasss
- Sugar: to taste
- Salt: to taste
3
Continue stirring and cook the porridge until it thickens.
4
Then reduce the heat and stir the porridge with a spoon until droplets of oil appear in the sour cream. The finished banosh should be as thick as semolina porridge and easily separate from the walls of the pot.
5
The toppings for banosh are prepared separately. Fry the sliced bacon until a crispy crust forms.
- Smoked lard: to taste
6
Soak the mushrooms beforehand, then boil them, chop them coarsely, and sauté a little in the fat left from the cracklings.
- Dried mushrooms: to taste
7
Cut the cheese into cubes or grate it on a coarse grater.
- Feta cheese: to taste
8
Layer the finished dish without mixing the ingredients: first banosh, then cheese, cracklings, and mushrooms on top. Banosh is eaten without mixing, taking each component a little at a time.