Tomorrow, Saturday, March 5th is “Psyhosavato” in the Orthodox Church or the “Saturday of Souls,” when families remember the dead of their family members by making traditional koliva and taking it to church for their dead to be remembered. Today we saw women go to churches to leave behind their plates with koliva for the morning service. Koliva is made for funeral and memorial services and distributed to those in attendance. Koliva is made primarily of wheat, which is symbolic of life and regeneration.
If you wish to make it we have put a recipe below. Many people make it at home too. The wheat can be bought in the supermarket.
Directions:
Wash the wheat thoroughly to get rid of any grit or sand. Add the wheat to a large pot. Fill the pot with water, add a few pinches of salt, and bring the water to a boil.
Cook the wheat until it’s fluffy and tender – this should take about 20 minutes.
Strain the wheat and let the water drain out thoroughly.
Prepare a surface by layering some towels down. Spread the wheat thinly on the towels and allow to dry overnight.
Add the wheat, walnuts, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and 2 tablespoons of the ground toast/crackers to a large mixing bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Place the mixture in a tray or bowl that you would like to use. Press the mixture down to smooth it out and shape it (mound for tray or flat for bowl). Sprinkle some of the remaining toast/crackers on the top of the mixture to cover (no need to use all the crackers). Sprinkle the powdered sugar generously on top.
Decorate the top with any of the ingredients you choose. It is traditional to adorn the top with a cross.
Ingredients:
4 cups wheat grain, shelled
1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, lightly toasted
3/4 cup golden raisins
2 cups finely ground Zweiback, graham crackers, or paximadia
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sesame seeds lightly toasted
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Almonds, powdered sugar, silver candies, walnuts or white raisins for decoration (optional)
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