The palouzes and the soutzoukos are two of the most popular sweets of Cyprus. You will usually find them in villages that produce grapes.

Let see how they are made: 
After the pressing of the grapes, the producers take the must and put it in the “chartzin” (large bronze vessel) in a low fire. Then, they add a special earth, called “asproi”. The “asproi” is added in small proportions because after the boiling it will start to rise. With the addition of “asproi” the must cleans and gets a darker shade. During the boiling of the must, the impurities, which come at the surface, are taken away. When it is completely clean, the boiling stops and the must is left to cold in another cauldron.

Thereafter, the must and the flour are mixed. The proportion in “okades” (1 oka is almost 1 kg) is 8:1. The mix is put in a low fire and it is stirred until is cooked. This is how palouzes is made.

The next step is the manufacture of soutzoukos. Firstly, the nuts are shelled and dipped into water in order to become softer and easily put on the sticks (threads about 2-3 meters long). Thereafter, the sticks are dipped in the “moustalevria” (mix of must and flour) until the nuts are completely covered. This is repeated three times. When this is finished, the sticks are hanged for 5-6 days until the soutzoukos becomes completely dry. Some people prefer it hot so they eat it right after the dipping.