Moustalevria (Greek: μουσταλευριά) or must jelly (also mustpie and mustcake) is a traditional Greek kind of pudding made of grape must mixed with flour and boiled until thick. Moustokouloura, must biscuits or must cookies are the biscuit (cookie) version.
| Alternative names | Moustokouloura (cookies), mustopita (pie form), palouzes, kefteria, kourkouta |
|---|---|
| Type | Pudding |
| Place of origin | Greece |
| Main ingredients | Grape must, flour |
Historical information and names
Moustalevria originated in Ancient Greece where it was known under the name oinouta (Ancient Greek: οινούτα).[1][dubious – discuss]
During the Byzantine era it was called mustopita (μουστόπιτα) or pastellos (πάστελλος).[2] Nowadays except from its standard name, moustalevria has alternative names that differ from place to place, e.g., it is also known as kefteria[3] in Crete, kourkouta[2] in Samos, palouzes[4] in Cyprus and mustopita[5][6] in other regions.
Preparation
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In order to produce moustalevria, grape must (the juice from pressed grapes before fermentation) is boiled in low fire. Then a small amount of argil is added in order to clean the must.[4][7] After the boil, ingredients like flour, sugar, semolina, petimezi, sesame, vanilla, almonds, walnuts, etc. are included.[4][5] Moustalevria is popular at grape harvest season when the must is fresh.
See also
References
Bibliography
- Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης (Babiniotis), Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens, 2005.