Christmas sweets in Greece can be a tradition throughout the whole country… or just limited to one region only. What they do have in common though, is that they bring us back and remind us of our warm childhood memories. The aromas alone help us remember that it is a very special time of the year.
Here’s a list of ten different Christmas sweets made famous in Greece; the first five being the most popular ones.
Melomakarona
Melomakarona; the most traditional of the Christmas sweets, will most likely be found in nearly all of the Greek households during the holiday season. If you would like to try making them at home, take a look here or if you are interested in finding out the fat and calorie content, then take a look here.
Kourabiedes
Kourabiedes are delicious shortbread type of cookies made with pure butter, flour and sugar. They are quite easy to make, and easier for them to disappear from the plate. They taste better if made at home, trust us.
Diples
Diples are fried folded bites served after being drizzled with honey syrup. Some people also love to sprinkle them with chopped nuts. This dessert’s roots come from the Peloponnese, but it is eaten with the same enthusiasm all over Greece.
Christopsomo
This sweet spiritual Christmas bread although not common, can contain ingredients such as raisins, cinnamon and even anise. It’s prepared with care and baked with love since; as its name Christopsomo suggests, it’s Christ’s bread. Families prepare it on Christmas Eve and then serve it at the Christmas Day table, so as to bring blessings to the whole family.
Vasilopita
This New Year’s Day sweet is adored by everyone; especially kids, in most every Greek household. Vasilopita is a cake which is popular not only in Greece, but in other countries throughout the Balkans, as well. Vasilopita; which is cut on New Year’s Day, is baked with a hidden coin inside. On New Year’s Day when the Vasilopita is cut and served, tradition dictates that the person who gets the piece with the coin in it is said to be the lucky one. Along with ‘winning the coin’ today, ‘the lucky one’ will also have good luck for the rest of the year, as well.
The 5 sweets mentioned above are the ones we are bound to find every year at our table, along with baklava, and possibly even with loukoumades! However, there are other sweets that are made in Greece, that not every Greek is even aware of.
These include:
Mamoulia
Mamoulia are a type of filled pastry that locals from Chios prepare, using traditional ingredients such as nuts and almonds and sometimes masticha, as well. Mamoulia are very popular in Chios, but can be found on several other of the Greek islands, as well.
Pontic Isli
This recipe originally arrived in Greece with the Pontic Greeks. When the Pontians arrived in Greece, they also brought a special pair of tweezers with them, so as to make the design on each one of these sweets. Pontic Isli are very similar to melomakarona; the difference being that they have a walnut heart in them, which makes them irresistible.
Mamounia
White icing sugar which reminds us of snowy mountains, is a trait that many Greek Christmas cookies share. Mamounia, come from the island of Limnos, and are extremely sweet since before being sprinkled with icing sugar, they are dipped in syrup.
Karydokourabiedes
These chewy pieces of heaven from Arcadia are extremely sweet, with intense nutty flavours. Some describe them as kourabiedes with nuts, and although they have a lot of similar ingredients, the original recipe also adds a good quantity of spices such as clove and cinnamon. This sweet is called Karydata in other regions, and people prefer to add marmalade to them, instead of icing sugar on top.
Psarakia
Psarakia Christmas sweets that can be baked or fried, are filled with walnuts and come from the island of Tinos. They are named Psarakia (little fish) because in some households they are made in the shape of fish. Whether baked or fried, people always serve them sprinkled with icing sugar.
Source: Gabi Ancarola/greekreporter.com
