Γλυκό κολοκούι (κολοκύθι). Άδεια δημοσίευσης: Υπουργείο Γεωργίας.
A delightful spoon sweet with its characteristic shape of a spring.
Name - Recipe
Γλυκό του κουταλιού κολοκύθι.
Version A
1 kg of sugar
1 kg of butternut squash
Lemon juice (for the lemonade)
Water
Version B
1 kg of butternut squash
2 kg of sugar
2 glasses of water
1/2 glass of lime
1 cup of lemon juice (for the lemonade)
rose geranium or vanilla
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Version A
Peel the butternut squash, remove the skin and cut it into pieces so as to get their shape. Place them in a bowl and add the lemonade (lemon and water) for half an hour. Meanwhile, make the syrup: in a pot, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove the butternut squash from the lemonade and put it in a bottle with the syrup and close it. (Maria Vronti, 63 years old, Kyperounda)
Version B
Peel the butternut squash and cut it into small squares or triangles or use the special tool. Put them in a basin with lime and water and leave them for 4-5 hours. Rinse them very, very well and boil them in water until they are well cooked. As they cook, change the water 2-3 times. When they fall off a needle they are ready. Cool them and place them in a bowl with ice water and lemon juice (lemonade) for about 2 hours to become crispy later. Drain them, place them in a pot and top them with the sugar and water for 3-4 hours. Then, boil them for about 15 minutes and set aside. On the following day, boil the sweet again and add the rose geranium. Skim and leave until the syrup thickens. Just before the syrup is ready, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Fill the jars, cap them and turn them upside down for 3 minutes. (MANRE 2009, 18)
Boiling.
Boiling in syrup.
How do we know when the syrup is ready: Place some syrup in a spoon and let it drip away in the pot. When the syrup flows away easily, it means it is still watery and not ready. Keep on boiling for a few minutes and test again until the flow separates into drops. When a final drop remains hanging from the spoon, it means that the density is right and the syrup is ready. If not, that means that the syrup is not ready and needs a bit more boiling. Repeat the testing procedure again until the syrup has the right consistency.
If the syrup is properly thickened, then the spoon sweet can be preserved for a very long period of time in a cool, dry place without having to be kept in a refrigerator. (MANRE, 2009)
Additional information and bibliography
Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Agriculture (2009). Traditional spoon sweets and jams, Press and Information Office, Nicosia.
Oral testimony: Maria Vronti, 63 years old, Kyperounda (see. Kourri, P. and Lazarou, S. (eds.) (2007). Traditional recipes of the village of Kyperounda, unpublished data).
Varvara Yangou, Stalo Lazarou
Γλυκό κολοκούι, σερβιρισμένο ως επιδόρπιο σε τραπέζι. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Traditional Recipes
Beans with kolokíthi (sweet marrow)
Glykokóloko (sweet marrow) blends nicely with boiled beans. Another common combination in Cypriot cuisine is with blackeyed beans (louvi).
Traditional Recipes
Green beans with glykokoloko (sweet marrow)
This dish is considered quite light, and is usually cooked in the summer. At this time of the year, marrows are also ready for consumption.
Traditional Recipes
Keftedes - patties with butternut squash.
A vegetarian variation of the keftedes recipe, using butternut squash. The recipe comes from the monastery of Agia Irene in Limassol, and is related to the monastic diet in Cyprus.
Traditional Recipes
Kolokotes - Butternut squash pies
Usually, the preparation of kolokotes was and still is associated with the fasting period before Christmas and Easter, since they are a delicious, fasting dish.
Traditional Recipes
Kolokotes Maratheftikes- Butternut squash pies
A special variation of a well-known and beloved Cypriot pies with butternut squash. In Marathasa, kolokotes were usually savoury.
Traditional Recipes
Kolokouthkia me t’afka - Zucchini with eggs
Easy, quick and nutritious dish that the hostess would prepare for guests arriving on short notice. The recipe comes from Pano Amiantos, but it is made throughout the country.
Traditional Recipes
Louvi (black-eyed beans) with butternut squash
A dish, which was prepared for financial reasons, when there was leftover food from the previous day's meal. The recipe comes from Yermasogia, a suburb of Limassol.
Traditional Recipes
Retshellia, rets̆éllia
This recipe uses apples or quinces which are prepared using grape must as a sweetener and originates from Marathasa valley.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Apple
The recipe for apple spoon sweet from Kyperounda village calls for apples that are not too small, and if possible of the same size. Kyperounda is particularly famous for the production of spoon…
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Apricot
“…put them in a wide saucepan and pour the syrup over them. Bring to a boil over high heat until the syrup is ready” (Melanthia Haritou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Aubergine
"I place them in the pot with 3-4 glasses of water, with rose geranium, cloves and three lemon slices… " (Pepa Frixou, Pachna Limassol)
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Bitter Orange
This spoon sweet has bittersweet taste and a delightful aroma.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Blossoms
The petals of the blossoms of bitter orange, lemon, orange and other citrus trees are used in the preparation of this exceptionally fragrant sweet.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Carrot
One of the lesser known spoon sweets, but just as delicious as the other sweets.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Cherry
Special tools are used today to remove the pits. In the past, women used metal hairpins.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Dates
Dates, with a distinctive sweet taste, are stuffed with almonds and preserved in syrup.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Fig
Primarily, unripe figs are used for the preparation of this sweet, which in Cypriot they are called koutsaka. Thus, the spoon sweet is also called fig-koutsako.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Grapefruit
A spoon sweet with a slight bitterness in taste and the special aroma of grapefruit.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Grapes
It is prepared using the sultana variety during the months of September and October, before the grapes are completely ripe.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Green Bitter Orange
This spoon sweet has a very strong aroma, bittersweet taste and a distinctive green colour. Follow the same recipe for lemon spoon sweet.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Orange
Orange fruit, a favourite citrus fruit, can also be used whole to make spoon sweets. Suitable varieties are Merlin and Jaffa.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Pear
"We peel the pears without cutting the stem. We heat the syrup, add the pears and turn them twice." (Eleftheria Valanidou, Agridia).
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Rose
Made particularly in the Agros-Kyperounda area with fragrant, spring rose petals harvested in April and May.
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Tomato
Tomatoes are so versatile! Consumed fresh or preserved, sundried or in a sauce, they are equally flavoursome as a spoon sweet!
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Walnut
"... prepare the syrup and add the walnuts to boil. Repeat for the next three days until the syrup thickens" (Kyperounda, Kourri and Lazarou 2007).
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Watermelon
Seasonal spoon sweet prepared in Summer from the peel of watermelon, a particularly popular and refreshing fruit.
Traditional Recipes
Γλυκό περγαμόντ
A particular spoon sweet, bergamot is bittersweet with a delightful aroma.