Moustalevria

Mustalevria (Greek: μουσταλευριά) is a traditional Greek kind of pudding made of grape must mixed with flour and boiled until thick.

Historical information and names

Moustalevria originated in ancient Greece where it was known under the name oinouta (Greek: οινούτα). During the Byzantine era it was called mustopita (Greek: μουστόπιτα) or pastellos (Greek: πάστελλος). Nowadays except from its standard name, moustalevria has alternative names that differs from place to place. P.e., it is also known as kefteria in Crete, kourkouta in Samos, palouzes in Cyprus and mustopita in other regions.

Preparation

In order to product mustalevria grape must (the juice from pressed grapes before fermentation and is often used as a sweetener in traditional bread recipes, as well as in the preparation of desserts and candy) is boiled in low fire. Then a small amount of argil is added in order to clean the must. After the boil, ingredients like flour, sugar, semolina, petimezi, sesame, vanilla, almonds, walnuts etc are included. Mustalevria is a favorite, especially popular at grape harvest season when the must is fresh.