Κολλυφόζουμο (Μαγειρεύω Κυπριακά 2015). © Μουσείο Κυπριακών Τροφίμων και Διατροφής.
We may have associated kollyfozoumo with poverty, but it is a delicious and delicate cream with a ceremonial character and a delicate taste, made by adding cornflour and other ingredients and spices to boiled wheat broth.
Name - Recipe
Κολλυβόζουμο ή ασουρές.
And while the kollyva are served in the church or at the time of burial the priest throws them over the dead person in the cemetery, the kollyvozoumo is distributed to neighbours and relatives. In the old days, housewives would add a little epsima or carob syrup and sesame seeds.
In some villages in Cyprus, such as Anogyra, the celebrants would go round the houses of relatives and friends and hand out kollyvozoumo.
10 cups of boiled wheat broth (you will need about half a kilo of
wheat)
2 ½ tbsp boiled wheat
1 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp pomegranate
1 tbsp of cooked chickpea powder (you can find it in
supermarkets)
1 tbsp of honey or epsima
3 - 4 tbsp of cornfour (depending on how thick you want the
cream to be. Dissolve a few tablespoons of cornflour in 1 cup of
cold broth and add it to the pot, stirring until the cream thickens)
Sprinkle:
1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
3 tbsp of sugar
a bit of mastic powder
½ tsp cinnamon
Using the broth (from boiled wheat), heat it up ( not to boil) and add the following: boiled wheat, walnuts, epsima (or honey), chickpea powder, raisins and pomegranate. Stir briskly with a spoon. Add the cornflour and stir until the cream thickens. Add the sesame seeds, sugar, mastic and cinnamon to the mortar and pestle and crush them. Serve kollyfozoumo sprinkled with this mixture.
Additional information and bibliography
Florentia Kythraiotou
Βράσιμο του σιταριού σε νερό. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Traditional Recipes
Anari cream with carob syrup
A modern dessert based on a classic recipe using anari (similar to myzithra/ricotta) and incorporating a local ingredient - carob syrup.
Foods
Galatopourekko
A dessert with cream in filo pastry and syrup. It was customary to serve it during cheesefare week.
Traditional Recipes
Goat anari cheese mousse with carob syrup
A contemporary recipe for a light dessert based on the harmonious combination of anari (myzithra) cheese and carob syrup.
Traditional Recipes
Kollyfa - Kollyva
"... when the wheat is dry, we put it together with all the other ingredients in the paneri (nuts, pomegranate, raisins, sesame seeds and aniseed), mix them well and they are ready to take them to…
Traditional Recipes
Mahallepi - Muhallebi
A delicious Middle Eastern milk pudding that only requires a few simple ingredients."In the old days we used to grind the rice using a hand mill. Now the flour is ready." (Pepa Frixou, Pachna…
Traditional Recipes
Melokrema - Cream with honey
A simple dessert with pure ingredients of the Cypriot cuisine. The recipe comes from Pyrga in Larnaca and was made in the 1950s. At that time, due to poverty, many people could not have many…
Traditional Recipes
Pastry cream with goat’s milk
Crème pâtissière adapted to Cypriot cuisine with the use of goat's milk.
Traditional Recipes
Pitta (satži) served with cream and spoon sweets
A contemporary recipe with pitta cooked on a non-stick pan (in place of the traditional satži) combined with cream and spoon sweets.
Traditional Recipes
Rice pudding - Rizógalo
A sweet treat which was widely popular in Cyprus among families who had sheep, as it was traditionally made using sheep's milk and flour. Today, rice pudding is prepared using different ingredients.
Foods
Sitarin - wheat
The harvesting process was carried out in the month of June with the use of a sickle.
Foods
Sitos - wheat
In the 10th century, Syrian merchants used to visit Cyprus to purchase wheat and other products.