"Koliva"

a custom of our religious tradition

“Koliva”

A custom of our tradition is the practice of offering koliva to the people who attend funerals and memorial services.

The most important ingredient of koliva is the wheat. Wheat symbolizes life and regeneration. Like wheat, people are buried in order to grow and bring new life.

Koliva is also a very healthy and tasty snack and very easy to make!

Ingredients:

. 1 kg wheat grain

. 1tbp anise seeds

. 400gr. almonds (peeled and whitened)

. 400gr sesame seeds

. 2-3 pomegranate seeds

. 250gr raisins

Preparation:

Clean and wash the wheat thoroughly to get rid of any dirt. Put the wheat in a large pot, fill with water and bring to boil. Remove from fire and let it stay overnight. The next day empty the water and refill with fresh cold one. Add the anise seeds and let it cook until the wheat is soften and splits. (make sure that there is a lot of water in the pot during cooking ).

Wash the wheat thoroughly with cold water so it will not get sticky. Lay it over a piece of cloth in a big tray and let it dry.

Place the wheat in a large bowl. Add the sesame seeds, the almonds, the pomegranate seeds and the raisins. Mix well and enjoy!

A small tip for almonds: after whitening almonds let them soak for 2-3 days in water with a drop of lemon in it. Change water every day. Almonds will become tender, fresh and very tasty!