What does kasha mean?
Kasha is a warm, porridge-like food made from hulled buckwheat groats, usually toasted before boiling. The resulting dish has a nutty, earthy flavor and a texture that can range from loose and creamy to firm and grainy, depending on the ratio of groats to liquid. It is commonly served as a breakfast cereal, a side dish, or with additions such as mushrooms, onions, eggs, fruit, and sour cream. The word comes from Russian, where the related term is used more broadly for grain porridge, but English usually applies it specifically to buckwheat. Kasha is best known internationally through Eastern European cooking and has also become a familiar staple in natural-food and whole-grain diets. Although buckwheat is not related to true wheat, its groats contain gluten-free protein and are valued for their distinctive flavor. The term should not be confused with the unrelated hair treatment sometimes called kasha, which traditionally uses henna.
nounA porridge-like food made from hulled, usually toasted buckwheat groats, boiled until tender. In Russian and other Slavic cuisines, the related term can also refer more broadly to grain porridge.
- A porridge-like dish made from hulled and usually toasted buckwheat groats, boiled until tender.
"She served warm kasha with mushrooms and a spoonful of sour cream for breakfast."
"The recipe calls for kasha, dried mushrooms, and vegetable stock."
"Buckwheat kasha makes a warming and substantial breakfast."
Kasha is ordinarily used as a mass noun, so the plural is uncommon.
"The shop sells several varieties of kashas made with traditional grains."
In English, kasha is unusually specific: the Russian word broadly means porridge, but English usually reserves kasha for the toasted buckwheat version.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kasha come from?
The English word was borrowed from Russian каша (kasha), meaning porridge or a grain-based porridge dish. Its use in English became especially associated with toasted buckwheat groats. The Russian word has close counterparts in other Slavic languages, including Polish kasza and the South Slavic form kaša.
How kasha is actually used
Kasha is normally pronounced with a stress on the first syllable and is often associated with Russian, Ukrainian, and other Eastern European food traditions. The unmodified word generally refers specifically to buckwheat groats in English, even though the corresponding words in several Slavic languages can denote other kinds of porridge.
Easily confused with kasha
As a food, kasha means buckwheat groats or a buckwheat porridge; the unrelated hair treatment usually refers to dyeing hair with henna.