Traditional Banosh Recipe: Hutsul Cornmeal Porridge in Sour Cream

Active time: ~30 minutes | Total time: ~30 minutes | Serves: 4 | Difficulty: Easy

Quick Overview

1. Fry small cubes of salo in a dry pan until golden and crisp
2. Bring the sour cream to a boil with the salt in a high-sided pot
3. Pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking all the time
4. Stir over low heat until the banosh pulls away from the pot and drops of butterfat appear
5. Serve at once, topped with bryndza, the cracklings and dill

What Banosh Is

Banosh, or banush as the Hutsuls say, is a thick porridge of cornmeal cooked in sour cream, sometimes mixed with cream, rather than in water or milk.^1,2 It comes from the Ukrainian Carpathians, where it is made in the Hutsul region and in Zakarpattia,^3,1 and it is usually served with crumbled bryndza (a salty sheep’s milk cheese), crisp pork cracklings or fried mushrooms, and often with all three.^2,3

The sour cream is the point. It makes banosh rich and a little tangy, and its fat is what sets banosh apart from an everyday cornmeal porridge or polenta.² Cooked long enough, the porridge lets go of some of that fat, and the drops of butterfat on top are the sign it is done.^4,5

History and Cultural Roots

The Hutsuls are an ethnographic group of Ukrainian pastoral highlanders in the Carpathian Mountains.⁶ Their villages keep cows and sheep on the polonynas, the high mountain pastures, and bryndza made from the milk of sheep grazed there is still part of the local table.⁷ Corn reached Ukraine from the Americas by way of Europe, after the potato, and in the Hutsul region and Transcarpathia cornmeal became one of the most commonly eaten cereals.⁸

An ethnographic study of the Hutsul region, published in five volumes in Lviv between 1899 and 1908,⁶ recorded cornmeal as an almost daily food there: kulesha cooked on water, porridge on milk, and banush on sour cream. The method it records was three measures of boiling sour cream to one of cornmeal, a quarter of an hour on the fire, and then the pot divided in two and each half stirred without stopping until the banush released its butter.⁵ Recipes published today still look for that moment.^4,2

In Zakarpattia, banosh comes with customs of its own. By long tradition only men cook it, because everything connected with keeping sheep was considered men’s work, and a respected householder keeps a special place in the yard to cook it in a cauldron over a fire. It is stirred with a large wooden spoon and only ever in one direction; otherwise, the belief goes, it won’t taste right.³

Banosh is still cooked in the mountains today. Fieldwork in Hutsul villages published in 2022 names banosh and kulesh among the dishes still prepared for holidays,⁷ and an account of Hutsul cooking from 2011 counts banush among the foods still widely eaten there.⁵

Traditional Banosh Recipe

This recipe was compiled by Heritage Healthy Kitchen from a comparison of published recipes; the sources are listed at the end of this article. Figures that are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s own estimates rather than taken from a published source are marked as such.

Published recipes cook 140–180g of cornmeal in a liter of liquid: sour cream of at least 20% fat on its own, or sour cream and cream in equal parts.^2,3 Another uses 500ml of homemade sour cream to 90g of fine cornmeal,⁴ and the old village measure was three parts sour cream to one of cornmeal.⁵ Toppings run to 100–150g of bryndza,^3,2 and the cracklings are optional in one recipe and made from 300g of salo in another.^2,3 The amounts below sit inside those ranges. The 150g of salo and the four servings are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimates: published recipes call a pot this size two servings.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 150g (about 1 cup) fine or medium cornmeal (corn grits)
• 1 liter (about 4 cups) full-fat sour cream, at least 20% fat, or 500ml sour cream and 500ml cream (20% fat)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100g (3½ oz) bryndza or another salty sheep’s milk cheese, crumbled
• 150g (5 oz) salo (salted pork fat), cut into small cubes
• A few sprigs of dill, chopped

Optional

• A small knob of butter, stirred in at the end

Method

1. Fry the salo. Fry the cubes of salo in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they are golden and crisp.³ Lift the cracklings out of the rendered fat and keep them warm.
2. Bring the sour cream to a boil. Pour the sour cream into a heavy pot or sauté pan with high sides, because the porridge spits once the cornmeal goes in.² Add the salt and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring so it doesn’t catch.^2,4
3. Add the cornmeal. Turn the heat down to low and pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking all the time so no lumps form.^4,3,2
4. Stir until it is done. Keep stirring without a break; banosh left alone will burn.^2,4 Depending on the grind it takes 7–20 minutes.^2,4 It is ready when it comes away from the sides of the pot and turns as one mass, and small drops of melted butterfat appear on the surface.^4,5 If a lot of fat separates, pour it off.² Stir in the butter now, if using.⁴
5. Serve at once. Spoon the banosh into bowls, top it with the bryndza and the cracklings and scatter the dill over. Eat it hot; banosh that has cooled is not nearly as good.^2,1

Kitchen Tips

Use fine or medium cornmeal, not coarse polenta. Zakarpattia cooks reach for the finest grind,^3,4 while another recipe uses medium; the cooking time depends on the grind, so check the packet.¹

Lumps come from adding the cornmeal too fast. Pour it in a thin stream and keep the whisk moving until all of it is in.⁴

The fattier the sour cream, the better: homemade is ideal, and store-bought should be at least 20%.^2,4 Sour cream of 10–15% won’t release its fat, so cook that kind until it is thick instead of waiting for butterfat to appear.² You can thin the sour cream with water, but the banosh will taste milder.³

Variations

Banosh with mushrooms is popular too, especially in season.² Fry an onion, sliced into half-moons, until golden, add sliced chanterelles and a little butter and cook until the mushrooms give up their juice, then stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream, salt them and cook for a few minutes more. Porcini or other wild mushrooms work as well, and cracklings and bryndza can go on top too.⁴

Looking for a Lighter Version?

Banosh in sour cream is a rich dish, and some cooks make it on milk instead, which is simpler and cheaper but less rich.^2,1 Our Healthy Banosh recipe takes that route: whole-grain cornmeal cooked in milk, topped with fried mushrooms and onion and a smaller amount of bryndza, with the cracklings left as an option.

Nutritional Information

Per serving, one quarter of the recipe, with bryndza and cracklings:

• Calories: approximately 750–915 kcal
• Protein: 12–15g
• Total fat: 61–75g, of which saturated 30–37g
• Carbohydrates: 39–47g
• Fiber: under 1g
• Sodium: 1,490–1,820mg

The porridge on its own, without toppings, comes to about 560–685 kcal a serving. Pouring off fat that separates brings the figures down; a knob of butter adds to them.

Nutritional values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases (USDA FoodData Central). They vary with the fat content of the sour cream and how salty the salo and cheese are.

Storage and Reheating

Banosh is at its best the moment it is made and doesn’t take well to reheating, so cook only as much as you will eat.^1,2 If you do have leftovers, refrigerate them within 2 hours; they keep 3–4 days. Reheat over low heat, stirring often, until hot all the way through, 74°C (165°F).⁹ Keep the cracklings and cheese separate and add them after reheating.

Traditional Recipe Card

Traditional Banosh

Prep ~10 minutesCook ~20 minutesServes 4

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 150g (about 1 cup) fine or medium cornmeal (corn grits)
• 1 liter (about 4 cups) full-fat sour cream, at least 20% fat, or 500ml sour cream and 500ml cream (20% fat)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100g (3½ oz) bryndza or another salty sheep’s milk cheese, crumbled
• 150g (5 oz) salo (salted pork fat), cut into small cubes
• A few sprigs of dill, chopped

Optional

• A small knob of butter, stirred in at the end

Instructions

1. Salo: Fry the cubes in a dry pan until golden and crisp; lift out of the fat.
2. Sour cream: Bring to a boil with the salt in a high-sided pot, stirring.
3. Cornmeal: Lower the heat; pour in a thin stream, whisking all the time.
4. Cook: Stir without a break 7–20 min, until it pulls away from the pot and butterfat appears; pour off excess fat. Optional: stir in butter.
5. Serve: At once, hot, topped with bryndza, cracklings and dill.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is bryndza, and what can I use instead?
Bryndza is a salty cheese made from sheep’s milk in the Hutsul region and Bukovyna,⁸ and sheep’s bryndza gives banosh its Carpathian taste.² Published recipes also use other cheeses, from suluguni melted into the porridge to a grated hard cheese.^4,1 If you can’t find bryndza, use a crumbly, salty sheep’s milk cheese such as feta.

What kind of cornmeal should I use?
Fine or medium cornmeal.^3,4,1 The cooking time depends on the grind, so check the packet.¹

Why is my banosh lumpy?
The cornmeal went in too fast. Pour it into the boiling sour cream in a thin stream, whisking all the time.⁴

Is banosh the same as polenta?
Both are cornmeal porridges, but banosh is cooked in sour cream or cream, and that fat is what sets it apart from polenta or an everyday porridge.²

Can banosh be made without meat?
Yes. The cracklings are optional, and banosh with bryndza and fried mushrooms is a traditional way to serve it.^2,4

Why is banosh cooked by men?
In Zakarpattia everything connected with keeping sheep, from the flock to the cheese, was traditionally men’s work, and the cooking of banosh went with it.³

Further Reading & Sources

The recipe is a compilation based on the published recipes listed here; these links are provided for readers who want to explore further.

1. Yevhen Klopotenko. (28 July 2022). Banosh z hrybamy [Banosh with mushrooms]. klopotenko.com. Banosh or banush, a thick cornmeal porridge of western Ukraine, cooked on milk, cream or sour cream and served with bryndza, cracklings and herbs; the Hutsul custom of stirring with a wooden spoon in one direction; medium-grind cornmeal; cooking time depends on the grind; banosh does not take to reheating, so cook one meal’s worth; any cheese may be used.
2. Yevhen Klopotenko. (17 January 2024). Avtentychnyi karpatskyi banosh na smetani [Authentic Carpathian banosh in sour cream]. klopotenko.com. Authentic banosh is cooked in sour cream or cream, not milk, and its fat sets it apart from an ordinary porridge or polenta; the fattest sour cream, ideally homemade; the porridge spits, so use a high-sided pan; it must be stirred all the time; pour off fat that separates, while 10–15% sour cream will not release fat and is cooked until thick; served with bryndza (sheep’s bryndza for the Carpathian taste), with mushrooms (especially in season) or cracklings. Published recipe: 1 liter sour cream of at least 20%, 140g cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, 150g bryndza, cracklings optional; 7–10 minutes; 2 servings; eat hot.
3. Yevhen Klopotenko. (3 October 2022). Banosh z brynzoiu ta shkvarkamy [Banosh with bryndza and cracklings]. klopotenko.com. Banosh as a Zakarpattia porridge of cornmeal on homemade sour cream, most often with mushrooms or cracklings and bryndza; the classic recipe uses only homemade sheep’s-milk sour cream, and sour cream can be mixed with water at the cost of flavor; a special place in the yard and a cauldron over a fire; only men cook it, since everything connected with sheep was men’s work; stirred with a large wooden spoon in one direction only; the finest cornmeal. Published recipe: 180g cornmeal, 500ml sour cream (15%), 500ml cream (20%), 100g bryndza, 300g salo in small cubes fried in a dry pan; 2 servings.
4. Yuliia Skoryk. (2 July 2026). Karpatskyi banosh z lysychkamy: sekrety pryhotuvannia tradytsiinoi stravy [Carpathian banosh with chanterelles]. Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia. Recipe by the food blogger Myroslava Pekariuk: 500ml homemade sour cream brought to a boil with salt, 90g fine cornmeal poured in a thin stream, 15–20 minutes over low heat, stirring; ready when it comes away from the pot in one mass and drops of melted butterfat appear; store-bought sour cream of 20–30%, part may be replaced with heavy cream, or a piece of butter added; chanterelles fried with onion and butter, finished with 2 tablespoons sour cream; cracklings and bryndza can be added; suluguni melted into the porridge.
5. Tetiana Kostenko. (15 April 2011). Smachna Hutsulshchyna [The tasty Hutsul region]. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Retells Volodymyr Shukhevych’s Hutsulshchyna: cornmeal used almost every day — kulesha on water, banush on sour cream, porridge on milk; banush made from three measures of boiling sour cream to one of cornmeal, cooked a quarter of an hour, divided in two and each part stirred until the banush releases its butter; banush still widely eaten.
6. Nicolae Pavliuc, Volodymyr Sichynsky, Stanisław Vincenz. Hutsuls. Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (originally in Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2, 1989). The Hutsuls as an ethnographic group of Ukrainian pastoral highlanders in the Carpathian Mountains; bibliography lists V. Shukhevych, Hutsul’shchyna, 5 vols (Lviv 1899–1908).
7. Nina M. Fontana, Mariia V. Pasailiuk, Oleh Pohribnyi. (2022). Traditional ecological knowledge to traditional foods: The path to maintaining food sovereignty in Hutsulshchyna. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6, 720757. Peer-reviewed fieldwork: polonynas maintained by mountain shepherding of cows and sheep; kulesh made with polonyna bryndza; “kulesh and banosh for holidays.”
8. S. Stechishin. Traditional foods. Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Corn reached Ukraine from America through Europe after the potato; in the Hutsul region and Transcarpathia cornmeal (mamalyga or kulesha) is among the most commonly eaten cereals; budz or bryndzia, a salty cheese from sheep’s milk, made in the Hutsul region and Bukovyna.
9. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety. Refrigerate within 2 hours; 3–4 days in the refrigerator, 3–4 months in the freezer; reheat to 165°F (74°C).

Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Heritage Healthy Kitchen makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content on this site. Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on the specific ingredients, brands, and measurements used. This content is not intended as dietary, medical, or professional nutritional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any dietary needs or health conditions. Heritage Healthy Kitchen is not responsible for any outcomes resulting from the use of recipes or information published on this site.

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