Guriev kasha, a porridge of semolina layered with jam, honey, dried or preserved fruits, and candied nuts, carries the name of Count Dmitri Alexandrovich Guriev (1751โ1825), minister of finance under Tsar Alexander I and a well-known gastronome. Legends abound about the origins of this extravagant dessert. Some sources say Guriev himself created the dish in the late eighteenth century. Others attribute it to a brilliant serf employed by a major in the Orenburg Dragoons, whose skill so impressed the count that he immediately bought the serf and installed him at his own estate.
