By JULIA TASONI

 

 

In ancient Greece, the dessert consisted of fruits, sweets and nuts and other delicacies. The apples of Corinth, also called or Ephyra, were also delicious There were also cherries, kumara, pomegranates, medlars (mespila) and berries (moura), blackberries, corromila, melons and watermelons.

 

Grapes were of course also used for wine, but also dried as raisins, were the most and a valuable element of Mediterranean diet. "We cannot live without grapes and without the beloved figs," writes Aristophanes in "Peace". Dried figs were also most sought after as a practical and nutritious food to be preserved and transported.

 

The need to preserve surplus fruits and vegetables, so that they can be used over time, led centuries ago to various methods, such as drying them in the sun - a technique particularly popular in antiquity - while boiling them and preserving them in syrup was another a practice that would reach modern times, preserving the nostalgia of the past in a sweet bite, as small as a teaspoon - hence their name.

 

The ancient Greeks boiled quinces with honey to preserve them for many months. And this was the first recorded preparation of spoon dessert, "melimilon"!

 

Today, the so called “teaspoon sweets”, are the sweetest traditions of Greece. They are directly linked to hospitality, since it is the dessert that most people have to welcome a visitor to their home accompanied by coffee. 

 

How to make “teaspoon” sweets

 

First of all, let's say that fruits such as sour cherries, grapes, oranges, quinces, figs, cherries, and pears are among the most popular for sweets spoon sweets, but the options are limitless. In fact, the skins of fruits such as watermelon or orange can be used, while we often find vegetables as spoon sweets, from pumpkin and eggplant, to carrot and tomato.

 

The usual practice is to cut the fruit, removing pits where present, including the peel in most cases, and then boil them in equal amounts of water and sugar.

 

Because some softer fruits with a lot of moisture during boiling dissolved and did not remain crisp in the final result as they should, the "old" people used lime water, where they left the fruits in before boiling. Alternatively, a bowl of cold water and a little lemon juice can help the fruit stay firmer so they boil properly. Then we boil the fruits or vegetables in water with sugar and when the sweet "sets" let it cool and serve. We use an equal amount of sugar and fruit.

 

Before proceeding to boiling, we can leave our fruit overnight in the pot with the water and sugar. We can flavor with herbs or orange peels.

 

Make homemade teaspoon sweet

 

You will need: 1 kg of quinces, 1 kg of sugar, 800 ml of water, juice of 1 lemon, (optionally) 1 sprig of rhizome or 2 cloves.

 

Instructions

 

Wash your quinces well, peel them and cut them into small pieces. Place them in a pot of water over low to medium heat and simmer until tender.Then add the sugar and continue to simmer, skimming, for about 45 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and horseradish or clove just before the end for extra flavor and bring to a boil.

 

You'll know your “teaspoon” dessert is ready, if your syrup isn't too runny and when you scoop some with the spoon, there's a drop that doesn't fall.