![]() However, in Greece you can buy “grape must” at the farmers’ market or at wineries during September – October. If you have a juicer the procedure is much easier or if not, use a food processor and a strainer to strain the juice. I must warn you that if you decide to make this dessert from scratch, when you finish you’ll end up with a very messy kitchen but it is worth while to make it at least once. The recipe that follows is made with a mixture of both moustos (grape must) which I bought at the farmers’ market and petimezi – epsima (concentrated grape syrup) so the preparation is much easier. The recipe is included in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste as well as in Volume 2 of my e-cookbook, sold on all Amazon stores. Thiw recipe was given to me by my elder sister Zoe. The moustalevria I make is a much more simplified way of making this pudding. With the remaining they would either make shoushoukos or kiofterka. The pudding would be eaten either warm or cold. In the bowls they would sprinkle some cinnamon and crashed almonds or walnuts on top. They would then put the pudding in bowls and some in large baking tins. The pudding was flavoured with kiouli (arbaroriza in Greek) which is the fragrant geranium leaves, or if they didn’t have any, with vanilla or mastic gum (resin). That procedure was very difficult as well. When the first step of boiling finished, after it cooled down they would remove it from the caldron in other pots and whatever residue rested in the bottom, they would pour away.Īfter that they would put it back in the caldron, add the flour and stir it with a large wooden stick until it would set. They used to do this using their feet (grape stomping), same way when taking the juice to make wine) and would prepare an outdoor fire to cook it. It was a quite tedious procedure as the pressing of the grapes is not easy. It was boiled in big caldrons called “chartzia, again in Cypriot dialect”and passed from sieves several times. (See note in comments by Niki: The soil that is added to the grape juice is in fact chalk and as an alkaline, it neutralises the acid giving a sweeter taste to the end product). They would add a special white soil to the must, yes that’s right soil, which after boiling, helped to remove all the impurities from the must. Of course, all the family and even friends or neighbours were there to help. The traditional way of making palouzes was quite complicated as I remember my mother would make large quantities. However as I wanted to share this recipe with you in time, last Tuesday when I went to the farmers’ market, the grapes were at a reasonable price so I bought some sultana grapes to make this dessert. The best time to make palouzes is September to October, when the grapes are sweet and cheap. It is equally delicious but when using white grapes the colour is much lighter. Grape juice, usually from red grapes is used but it can also be made with white grape juice. I am not sure about the origin of the Cypriot name of this pudding but I’ve seen Middle Eastern recipes with the name “balouza” which is a kind of pudding made with fruit juice or milk and corn flour (starch), so I think it may have some kind of connection. These ingredients are boiled together until the pudding thickens. It is usually flavoured (optional) with arbaroriza (kiouli, in Cypriot), which are scented geranium leaves, vanilla or mastiha (mastic resin). Moustalevria in Greek, from “moustos” = grape must and “alevri” = flour or Palouzes in the Cypriot dialect, is a pudding made with these two basic ingredients. Must (in Greek moustos and in Latin vinum mustum, meaning “young wine”) is freshly pressed grape juice.
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