Ιουλ

Karpouzi glyko (Water Melon spoon sweet)

Spoon sweets are sweet preserves, served in a spoon (occasionally with a small fork) as a gesture of hospitality.

They can be made from almost any fruit, though sour and bitter fruits are especially prized. There are even spoon sweets made from vegetables.

Whole fruit preserves can be found in most Greek and Cypriot homes. They are made by slowly simmering fruit in water and sugar over several hours or days, until the syrup sets. A small quantity of lemon juice is often added to preserve the fruit’s original colour, as well as to prevent sugar from crystallizing. The method of preparation is essentially similar to that of marmalade, except that fruit pieces remain whole.

Some of the fruits that are used include citrus (bitter oranges), grapes, mulberries, bergamot, apricots, cherries, oranges, sour cherries, lemons, pomegranates, quinces, strawberries, apples, dates, figs, prunes, and tangerines. Other varieties include vegetables, pistachios, hazelnuts, green (immature) walnuts and other nuts, and flower petals like rose or citrus flower blossoms. Many fruits or parts of fruits that are normally inedible, such as citrus peel and water melon rind, can be made into sweet, flavourful preserves, as can unripe nuts and vegetables such as eggplant and carrots.

Some years back they used to add food colour like grenadine etc., to red spoon sweets, but nowadays they have been forbidden as they are considered dangerous to health and usually retain the original shape, colour, aroma and taste of the fruit.

The method used to make the spoon sweets crunchier was to soak the fruit in solution of quicklime dissolved in water. They let it rest for two or more hours and then washed the fruit very well and proceeded to make the sweet.

Spoon sweets are usually offered to guests served by the teaspoon in a small china or crystal dish, with coffee or tea and cold water. Originally they used to serve them in a big bowl where everybody would take a piece from there in order to prove that there was no poison in it. I remember them served in bowls made of pure silver, sort of basket shaped which had places for the silver spoons to stand round the basket, which was filled with the spoon sweets.

Karpouzi Glyko – Watermelon spoon sweet

Makes 2 jars

Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 1.30 hours

Ingredients

The rind of a watermelon
1 kilo of sugar per 1 kilo of peeled rind
1/2 cup quicklime dissolved in 2 litres of water
3 cups of water
4 – 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
a few leaves of fragrant geranium (αρμπαρόριζα) or apple geranium, or if you don’t have any 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for the final stage

Directions

In order to make this spoon sweet the rind should be at least two centimetres thick. Cut slices about 6 – 8 cm., and remove the outer green skin and as much red flesh as you can.

Cut each slice into smaller pieces about 5 – 6 centimetres long.

Put the peel pieces into a large bowl and cover with cold water and the lemon juice and leave it for an hour. (At this stage if you have pickling lime (asvesti) dissolve 1/2 cup in 2 litres of water and soak the rind for 1 – 2 hours.

Rinse thoroughly before proceeding to next step. Drain the peel into a large colander and rinse under cold water. Return to the bowl, cover with fresh cold water and add the lemon juice and leave to soak for a further 30 minutes, then drain. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a large saucepan, then bring to a gentle simmer. Add the drained peel, cover and slowly simmer for about 1.30 hours until the syrup is dense. When ready, the ‘glyko’ turns a shade of transparent yellow.

Remove from the heat and add the geranium leaves (or vanilla) and lemon juice and toss saucepan.

Allow to cool and transfer to sterilised jars. Spoon sweets do not need to be stored in the refrigerator but if you are not sure that your syrup has properly thickened, then it is best to store it in the refrigerator.

Spoon sweets are always served with a cold glass of iced water.