Banosh – a Recipe from the Carpathian Hutsuls

Banosh is one of the main hutsul dishes. Banosh is easy to make – the only secrets are natural products and a strict order in which they are added.

Banosh (locals say “banush”) is a hutsul dish made of sour cream and corn flour. The website www.kolyba.org.ua offers the following recipe of banosh.

Ingredients:

• 500 ml cream (or sour cream, in this case, banosh may taste
  a bit sour)
• 200 g cornmeal
• pinch of salt
• bryndza (preferably sheep milk) and pork fat ad gustum

The quantities are provided for a small-sized pot and two average servings. If you are cooking in a big pot or, better, in a cauldron over an open fire, increase the quantities accordingly. If you use salty bryndza, no additional salt is needed.

Preparation:

Pour the cream into the cauldron (or thick-walled pot), set moderate temperature and bring to a boil.

Gradually, add cornmeal in a small stream, continually stirring with a wooden spoon (for a better aftertaste, avoid metal or plastic spoons).

Adjust the heat to a minimum, add a pinch of salt and start cooking. Stir until the cornmeal gets almost soft. You may need some extra cream at this stage as the consistency should be similar to thick sour cream, not a single piece of “dough.” In this case, you are closer to making tocan, which is a whole other dish. When the cornmeal is almost cooked, the most exciting part starts.

Keep the pot heated while intensely whisking the grits so that the butter comes to the surface (option two – take the grits off the heat and mash it to achieve the same effect). Remove the grits onto a shallow plate.

Dice some raw pork fat and make crisps. Place the crispy pork fat on top and drizzle them with fat.

Slice or dice some bryndza, add it on top, or better crumble it onto the grits if the consistency allows.

That’s all! Bon appetit!

In addition to pork fat and bryndza, banosh may be served with mushrooms, fried onions, vurda (local sheep’s milk specialty similar to both cheese and butter). Sometimes corn flour is used instead of cornmeal – then the cooking time is much shorter.

In any case, banosh is made with cream or sour cream for a relatively liquid consistency. If you use water, you will end up with kulesha (mamalyga).