Glyko tou Koutaliou (spoon sweet) is Greece’s traditional homemade fruit preserve that is served after a meal or with a coffee.

It can be stored for months in sterilised jars, which means you always have a delicious homemade treat on hand.

You can make it using quince, pear, lemons and other fruit. Here we share my mum’s grape sweet spoon recipe, which tastes amazing on its own or you may prefer to pair it with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream, yoghurt or flaked almonds.

Ingredients

1 kilo seedless grapes (red or white)

500 grams white sugar

1/2 cup of water

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 x leaves of Arbaroriza (lemon geranium)

Method

-Remove grapes from the stem and wash thoroughly. Dry and set aside.

-Place sugar and water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a full boil (about 10 minutes).

-Add your grapes and allow to simmer. Add Arbaroriza leaves and reduce heat to medium and cook for about an hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

-After about an hour, when the syrup has thickened, add the lemon juice and stir. Cook for another few minutes.

-Allow to completely cool.

-Spoon into sterilised jars with airtight lids and store in a cool place.

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Penny Zalalas

Executive Editor

At the age of 18, when starting her university degree in Media & Culture, Penny was offered her first role in the industry and began her career at Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited. Since then she has worked as a journalist & editor in both print & online publications, bringing with her 20 + years of experience in magazines. Her utter love for Greece, plus a constant urge to create, innovate & inspire is what led her to launch IN+SIGHTS GREECE.