Barbara
One of the many dishes/desserts I learned in Thessaloniki, where I lived for many years, was Barbara. Barbara is boiled wheat with nuts, spices, and sometimes dried winter fruits (usually apples), traditionally prepared on the eve or day of St. Barbara. In Athens, at that time, we had never heard of it. However, my memory brings back my mother, who would add some boiled wheat and nuts to our kollyva, calling it "kollyvozoumo" (kollyva mixture).
It is a custom for housewives to exchange Barbara among households, as a way to receive the blessing of St. Barbara and protect their children from illnesses caused by the cold. Alongside a very skilled housewife and cook, my mother-in-law, I learned the famous Barbara. Over the years, I have replaced sugar with other sweeteners such as honey, grape molasses, and recently experimented with fig syrup, which gives it a more aromatic taste. This year, I added a little fig syrup and brown sugar. The choice of sweetener is purely a matter of personal taste. If you prefer less sweetness, you can reduce the amount of sweetener used.
Ingredients:
- 350g peeled wheat
- 3 tbsp roasted flour
- 50g fig syrup
- 50g brown sugar
- 5-6 dried figs, chopped
- 5-6 dried apricots
- 1/2 cup peeled and chopped almonds
- 1.2 cups broken walnuts
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- A pinch of salt
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