A Circassian millet soup, drawn from the liquid skimmed while cooking paste and finished with sour milk or cream.
Hantkhups (Millet Soup)
Ingredients
Method
- Bring the water to a boil and stir in the cleaned millet.
- As it boils, skim the thinner soup off the top into a pot, leaving enough liquid below to cook the rest into paste.
- Simmer the skimmed soup gently until the millet is soft; if it stays too thin, stir in a little cornmeal.
- Salt to taste.
- Just before serving, stir in the sour milk or soured cream.
- Off the heat, drop in small pieces of fresh cheese to soften, or top with onion and red pepper fried in butter.
- Serve hot, as a first course.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| cheese | кхъуейqkhwey | къуаеqwae |
| milk | шэshe | щэshche |
| butter | тхъуцынэtkhwutsyne | тхъуtkhu |
| water | псыpsy | псыpsə |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchəghu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Hantkhups: questions
How long does it take to make Hantkhups?
About 40 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Hantkhups recipe serve?
It serves 4. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Hantkhups made of?
The ingredients are: 1 cup husked millet; 4 cups water; salt; 1/2 cup sour milk or soured cream, to finish; 30 g fresh Adyghe cheese (optional); 1 onion + 1 tbsp butter + red pepper (optional garnish).
Is Hantkhups an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Soups & Beans).
Where does this Hantkhups recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Hantkhups (Millet Soup)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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