Glyko tou koutaliou

Ingredients

Green walnut version

• 40green unripe walnuts
• water, for soaking
• 2 tablespoonsslaked lime, optional
• 1.2 kgsugar
• 800 mlwater
• juice of 1 lemon
• 6cloves
• 1cinnamon stick

Bergamot version

• 6bergamots, the peel only
• water, for soaking
• 1 kgsugar
• 700 mlwater
• juice of 1 lemon

Rose petal version

• 300 gfragrant rose petals
• 800 gsugar
• 400 mlwater
• juice of 2 lemons

To serve

• small dessert spoons
• a glass of cold water
• Cypriot coffee

Directions

1. Add lime to water, never water to lime. Rinse the fruit extremely thoroughly after. Making the green walnut sweet takes days. Pick the walnuts while completely green. The shell inside must still be soft. Pierce each walnut in several places. Cover them over with cold water.
2. Keep doing that for six to eight days. Judging the soak takes a taste. Taste a tiny sliver after six days. It should be only faintly bitter. Boil the soaked walnuts in fresh water. Give them about thirty minutes. Drain them all very thoroughly. Put the sugar and water in a wide pan. Warm it until the sugar dissolves. Add the cloves and the cinnamon.
3. Bring the whole pan up to a boil. Cooking the fruit in syrup takes patience. Add the drained walnuts to the syrup. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about an hour. Skim off any foam that rises up. Never let it boil hard at any point.
4. Drop a little onto a cold plate. It should hold its shape rather than run. Squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Give it two more full minutes. Take it off the heat entirely. Peel the bergamots in wide strips. Roll each of the strips up tightly.
5. Thread them onto a string like beads. That keeps the rolls from unwinding. Soak them in cold water for two days. Boil them until tender, then syrup them. Use strongly scented unsprayed petals. Trim off the white base of each petal. Rub the petals with sugar and lemon juice.
6. Let them sit for a few full hours. Give them ten full minutes only. Fill them while both are still hot. Make sure the fruit is fully covered. Seal them and let them cool down.
7. Set one or two pieces on a small plate. Lay a dessert spoon beside it. Bring a glass of cold water with it. Serve Cypriot coffee alongside or after. It keeps a year in a sealed jar. Use a clean dry spoon every time.

Technique

• A visitor is offered a spoon sweet on a small plate with a glass of cold water and coffee, and refusing it comes close to a discourtesy; the custom runs through Cyprus and Greece.
• Green walnuts must be picked while the inner shell is still soft enough for a needle to pass through, then pierced and soaked for six to eight days with the water changed twice daily to draw out the bitterness.
• Slaked lime, used to firm the walnuts, is caustic and burns skin, so wear gloves and eye protection, always add lime to water rather than water to lime, and rinse the fruit extremely thoroughly; many cooks now skip it entirely.

Substitutions

• Almost any firm fruit preserves the same way, including quince, fig, cherry and watermelon rind.
• The slaked lime step can be omitted, giving a slightly softer walnut.

Variations

• Bergamot peel rolled and threaded on string is a Cypriot speciality.
• Rose petal sweet is made in spring and cooked only briefly.
• Small aubergines and unripe grapes are both preserved this way.

History

Spoon sweets are offered with cold water and coffee as a formal Cypriot welcome; walnut, bergamot and rose are the classics.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glyko tou koutaliou?

Glyko tou koutaliou is a dessert from Cyprus: whole fruits preserved in syrup, served by the spoon to guests. Spoon sweets are offered with cold water and coffee as a formal Cypriot welcome; walnut, bergamot and rose are the classics.

How long does Glyko tou koutaliou take to make?

Glyko tou koutaliou takes 40 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one large jar. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Glyko tou koutaliou?

Yes, within limits. Almost any firm fruit preserves the same way, including quince, fig, cherry and watermelon rind. The slaked lime step can be omitted, giving a slightly softer walnut.

What is the most important thing to get right in Glyko tou koutaliou?

Add lime to water, never water to lime. Rinse the fruit extremely thoroughly after. Making the green walnut sweet takes days. Pick the walnuts while completely green. The shell inside must still be soft. Pierce each walnut in several places. Cover them over with cold water.