Friday, April 10, 2009

koulouria

Unless you are lucky enough to have a Greek stepmother (or mother or giagia), you've probably never had koulouria, in which case I feel very sorry for you.


Koulouria (pronounced kuh-LOO-dee-uh) are Greek cookies that my stepmother makes every year a week or so before Easter and delivers to her family (including her brothers, who live in the South and send her the White Lily flower required for baking them). Koulouria are almost indescribable, and extremely delicious, the kind of thing you look forward to all year: somewhere between a cookie and a tea biscuit, koulouria are a little sweet, scented with orange, and sometimes topped with sesame seeds.

If she really, really loves you, my stepmother will make koulouria in the shape of your first initial and instruct you that while you may eat the others now, you must save your initial koulouria for Easter morning (although at the rate Chris and I are eating them, I'm not sure there will be any left by then).


My stepmother will also tell you that koulouria are meant to be dipped in tea or coffee, but I disagree. While a biscotti needs to be dipped in hot liquid because it's hard as a rock, koulouria have a wonderful, slightly crumbly texture and can be eaten alone, with tea, for breakfast, for lunch, while wandering around the kitchen procrastinating doing work, for dessert, before bed, after writing a bl*g post...

4 comments:

  1. There is nothing that makes a greek stepmother happier than having her food appreciated. Next year you are getting even more.
    xxoo

    (And lest you think I am too rule-oriented, my mother would not allow us to eat ANY koulouria before Easter morning...I was giving you a break by telling you to hold off on the initials.)

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  2. I have something to say here. There is a bit of a koulouria crisis at my house. Tim has eaten through it like a cow on steroids. I don't know what the hell is happening. Luckily, I had two M's so I ate one this morning - I know this is wrong but they were the only ones that he spared. He even ate his T!!!

    I don't know what to do about this, it is very upsetting and I only have one koulouria for tomorrow morning before the sunrise service. My original plan was to save some and bring them to the sunrise service to share with BJ and Matt but the human hoover got to them first. The only reason he didn't eat the Ms was because I put the fear of god into him about them.

    I need more koulouria!! It is desperate times over here. Next year, I split them in half and hide my half!

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  3. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!? Tim just walked in here with my last M in hand having just taken a bite out of it and trying to offer it to me. WTF? It is possible that I screamed at him and by possible I mean I DEFINITELY tore his head off. I was saving for tomorrow morning and he freakin' ate it. IT IS AN M FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!!!

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