09/19/2024
Here is the recipe for Koliva for all who stopped by the Diving Duck space at the Southside Community Market and purchased coffee or donated towards the scholarship I the memory of Daniel Simon Guadarama. Koliva offering in memory of a departed loved one, goes all the way back to Ancient Greece, before Christianity. The custom/ritual has been carried over to modern times.
All profits from yesterday’s Diving Duck sales including gratuities will be donated to my good friend and Daniel’s mother who is setting up a scholarship in his nemory.
This effort will be repeated next Tuesday at the market and will be making again the Koliva recipe also a batch with substituting the red wheat berry with farrow for those who are gluten intolerant
Danny lived in Fairbanks for a few years, and left Fairbanks to pursue culinary training and a career as a chef. He achieved his dream but his life tragically ended on 3/16/24 when he was injured by a hit and run driver in California. While in Fairbanks Danny volunteered at Stone Soup Café and apprenticed with the chefs at Lavelle’s restaurant. He gave freely of his time and knowledge, he helped me at LUNCH Cafe and Eatery with the tricky GF recipes, and the impossible croissants and pie crusts. Below is the recipe followed by what my friend Mercedes, Danny’s mother put together about her sweet boy.
Koliva
Koliva (pronounced Ko-lee-vah)
a traditional dish made from boiled wheat and other ingredients, used in Greek Orthodox memorial services to honor the deceased. Each ingredient in Koliva has its own symbolic meaning:
The directions and amounts of ingredients follow the explanation of why these ingredients are used.
Instructions
1. **Wheat**: Represents the cycle of life and resurrection. Just as wheat is buried in the ground and sprouts anew, it symbolizes the hope of resurrection and eternal life for the soul of the departed.
2. **Sugar or Honey**: Symbolizes the sweetness of eternal life and the hope that the soul of the departed will rest in a place of light, happiness, and peace.
3. **Pomegranate Seeds**: Represent fertility, abundance, and the fullness of life. They also symbolize the hope for resurrection and eternal life, as the seeds burst forth from the fruit, similar to the concept of new life emerging from the grave.
4. **Raisins or Currants**: Symbolize the sweetness of life and serve as a reminder of the good memories shared with the departed.
5. **Parsley or Herbs**: Represent the freshness of life and growth. They can also symbolize the bitterness of death.
6. **Cinnamon and Spices**: Reflect the fragrance of a virtuous life. The use of aromatic spices is also tied to the tradition of anointing the body with perfumes and spices as a sign of respect and honor.
7. **Almonds or Nuts**: Often symbolize the resurrection because the almond tree is one of the first to blossom in spring, indicating new life and rebirth.
Each ingredient is a reminder of the eternal connection between the living and those who have passed, emphasizing the themes of life, death, and resurrection.
When you are offered a serving of Koliva by the family, the appropriate response is not thank you but “may their memory be eternal” or “may you be well to remember, love and honor them”
Ingredients
Salt
1 cup wheat berries
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
½ cup walnut pieces
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup currant raisins
½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ fresh parsley leaves or any bitter herb of your choice.
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon anise seeds - this is optional. I skip it-
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup ground graham crackers
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the finish:
Powdered Sugar
Slivered toasted almonds
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and salt lightly. Add the wheat berries, reduce the heat to a fast simmer and cook until the wheat berries are tender but still chewy, about 1 hour. Drain the wheat berries, rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking and drain again, shaking the strainer to remove as much water as possible.
2
Lay a kitchen towel in the bottom of a jellyroll pan and distribute the wheat berries evenly across it. Lay another kitchen towel on top and set aside to let the wheat berries dry thoroughly, at least 1 hour to overnight. (The dish can be prepared to this point up to 48 hours in advance; when the wheat berries are dry, refrigerate them in a tightly sealed plastic bag"
3
Coarsely chop the walnuts by hand or with a food processor add the awalnuts and all remaining ingredients to the wheat berries.
4
Transfer the wheat berry mixture to a shallow serving bowl, arranging it in a low dome.
5
Shake enough powdered sugar through a strainer or sifter over the top to lightly to cover the mixture
6
Decorate with slivered toasted almonds and the silver candy sprinkles.
The decoration can be a design of religious meaning like a cross, and thei initials or other symbols that may identify the memorialized, writings like eternal peace followed by their name. There are no rules just whatever makes the family and friends happy.
