Serbian · dessert

Koljivo (Žito, the Blessed Wheat)

Koljivo (Žito, the Blessed Wheat) reads sweetness 6.8, nutty 5.1 and citrus 5.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Serbian dessert, about 20 hr 6 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.8 · Nutty 5.1 · Citrus 5.0 · Fruity 4.2 · Richness 3.9 · Floral 3.7 · Salinity 3.6 · Earthy 3.3 · Warm Spice 2.2 · Bitterness 1.9 · Sourness 1.5 · Umami 1.5

What's in it (10)

Time & effort: about 20 hr 6 min (2 hr 6 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 140.6 kcal, 3.3 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 20 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

  1. Soak the wheat in cold water overnight, at least 12 hours.
  2. Drain, cover with the 2 L of fresh water, bring to the boil and skim, then drop to a simmer and cook 90 minutes, until the grains have split along one side and are tender the whole way through but still separate. Salted water toughens the skins, so the salt goes in later.
  3. Drain well and spread the wheat on a clean cloth to dry for 4 hours, turning it once. Wet wheat gives you paste rather than koljivo.
  4. Pound or grind the grain once, coarsely. The name comes from the verb for pounding, and the texture wanted is broken but not smooth, so put it through the coarse plate of a mincer a single time or work it in a mortar in batches.
  5. Fold in the ground walnuts, 150 g icing sugar, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, raisins, salt and rose water until evenly mixed. There is no butter, no milk and no egg in this, and that is deliberate: koljivo is fasting food, made for a slava and for the memorial table, and it must be free of animal products so anyone at the table can eat it.
  6. Press it firmly into a shallow dish or a bowl lined with cling film and chill 2 hours so it holds together.
  7. Turn it out, smooth the top with a wet palm, sift the remaining icing sugar thickly over it and mark a cross in the surface.
  8. It is carried to church to be blessed, then the first spoonful is shared around the table. Every household in the Šumadija sweetens it a little differently and nobody agrees on the rose water.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.