Γλυκό σταφύλι.
It is prepared using the sultana variety during the months of September and October, before the grapes are completely ripe.
Name - Recipe
Γλυκό του κουταλιού σταφύλι.
20 glasses of sultana grapes
20 glasses of sugar
Rose water
Place the grapes in a basin with the juice of 4 lemons and water to cover them for an hour. In a pot, put one glass of sugar for every glass of grapes and enough water to cover them. Boil until the syrup thickens. Just before the syrup is ready add a bit of rosewater. Store in glass jars. (Pepa Frixou, Pachna Limassol)
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: Pepa Frixou, 61 years old from Pachna Limassol. Recording: Zenovia Charalambous, October 2010. Edited by: Stalo Lazarou
Zenovia Charalambous, Stalo Lazarou
Ψήσιμο γλυκού.
Γλυκό σταφύλι.
Σταφύλι σουλτανίνα. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
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Bread with raisins
A recipe of a sweeter variation to the regular bread. “Knead the dough, then add the raisins." (Athena Kamintzi, Kyperounda)
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Ppalouzés
A thin cream made of reduced grape must bound with flour. When ppalouzés is cut into pieces and dried in the sun, we get ‘kkioftérka’ (kioftéria).
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Raisins
"Boil the water, add the soda and a bit of oil to give a gloss to the raisins. When the water boils, add the raisins..." (Marina Kiliari, Kyperounda)
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Spoon sweets - Butternut squash
A delightful spoon sweet with its characteristic shape of a spring.
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Spoon sweets - Cherry
Special tools are used today to remove the pits. In the past, women used metal hairpins.
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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).
Foods
Stafili - grapes
Grapes were consumed as a fruit and were used to produce sweet wine, especially Commandaria, dry wine (mostly red), zivania and vinegar.
Traditional Recipes
Γλυκό περγαμόντ
A particular spoon sweet, bergamot is bittersweet with a delightful aroma.