Varvara or Assoures is a sweet, deeply rooted in the folk tradition of Thrace. Those of us who come from Thrace cannot, of course, forget the bowls of barbara that were steamed on the day of Agia Varvara on the 4th of December and the kitchen smelled of cinnamon. And of course Grandma would give us a bowl for our beloved teacher. After all, Barbara's purpose was to share. St. Barbara was the protector of children who in hard times were plagued by disease and death, so it was established that they would make this sweet to sweeten her and protect their children. But the existence of this sweet has very deep roots that go back to antiquity.
Asuras or barbara
Asuresh or barbara is a sweet known in the Arab world as Noah's candy. The sweet appears in the tradition of both Christians and Muslims in these regions. It contains a mixture of grains, legumes such as beans and chickpeas, wheat, nuts and fruits and is served hot, sprinkled with cinnamon and garnished with nuts, pomegranate, raisins, etc. In Greece, it is traditionally prepared by Thracian women who keep the custom on the eve of Agia Varvara on 4 December.
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 250 gram. wheat
- 250 gram. Sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour roasted
- 100 gram. raisins
- 4 duplicate figs Chopped
- 50 gram. almonds whitewashed
- 50 gram. nuts Coarse
- nuts finely chopped for decoration
- 25 gram. Pine cone
- pips pomegranate for decoration
- 2 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Wash and soak the wheat from the day before.2. Next, wash the wheat very well and put it in a pot full of water to boil. Add the salt.3. After boiling for 25 minutes, add the sugar and raisins.4. Mix well and add the finely chopped figs.4. Add the walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and figs.5. Toast the flour and add it sifted so that it does not make lumps.6. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring. 7. Turn off the heat and allow the ash to cool,8. Once lukewarm, divide it into bowls9. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and pomegranate
Notes
- Traditionally, the asouresis or varvara is prepared on 4 December, on the day of the feast of Saint Barbara.
- According to the Thracian recipe, ashoures contains 9 ingredients, which are wheat, almonds, walnuts, pomegranates, raisins, cinnamon, sesame, tahini and chopped fruit, mainly apples. In some areas, 3 or 4 beans were put in the ash for good luck and whoever found them in the bowl was considered lucky.
- you can use less sugar and add 1-2 tablespoons of tahini or honey.
- you can also add hazelnuts, Aegina nuts, pistachios
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