Page 40 - 2022 - Q4 - Minerva in Focus
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OUR MARITIME FAMILY Food Culture:
Famous recipes
from difference
cultures
Melomakarona
or Greek Honey Cookies
Course: Dessert Traditional Greek Honey Cookies (Melo- Today, there is no Christmas without them.
Cuisine: Greek makarona) Soaked in syrup, full of Christ- They are in every Greek home during
Prep Time: 15 minutes mas flavors and spices, amazingly soft Christmas, along with Kourabiethes (Greek
Cooking Time: 20 minutes and crumbly. almond shortbread cookies).
Servings: 30 cookies
Calories: 262kcal About Melomakarona How To Make the Greek Honey
Cookies
These Greek Honey Cookies, called Melo-
makarona in Greece, go way back in time. The dough takes only 5 minutes to make
They derive from the ancient “makaria” and only requires some hand mixing. You
meaning blessed. During medieval times, shape it into oval-egg-shaped cookies.
they were served in the form of a dry piece Using a knife or a hand grater, you score
of pie (without syrup or honey) at the dinner criss-cross lines (to make them even pret-
that followed a funeral. Later, they became a tier). You then lay them on a parchment
traditional Greek Christmas cookie. paper-covered pan and bake until golden
And how did they end up representing such brown. And right as they come out of the
a happy time like Christmas after being a oven, you dip them in batches in warm
funeral cookie? That is because of the addi- honey syrup, which you prepared while
tion of honey (“Meli” in Greek) which, since the cookies were baking). Transfer them to
A recipe by Fotini Gazi Ancient Greek times, has been a symbol of a cooling rack to drain excess syrup. Then
RealGreekRecipes.com longevity and creation - precisely what peo- serve drizzled with plenty of honey and
ground walnuts on top!
ple hoped the new year would bring them!
40 MINERVA IN FOCUS – ISSUE 22 / Q4 2022
