A lightly sweetened refreshing dessert of dried sultanas and honey with a gentle clove background. A dish that is said to have carried an army of soldiers through the first world war.
Although a little fact-checking makes it seem that the food list of dried grape compote, wheat soup and bread may be attributed to the wrong battle the simple dessert is mostly remembered as one of the three dishes that were rationed out to the soldiers fighting in the battle of Gallipoli.
Right or wrong the dish appears in a number of books I've read around the period spanning the first world war, Turkish war of independence and fall of the Ottoman Empire. Inlcuding Novel Eating: Meze's For Happiness & Laughter At the time the sugar supply was very low and so I choose to present this dish sweetened with a little Turkish honey.
It's extremely easy to prepare and if you're willing to wait for, tastes better should you make it a day ahead, simply pick up a spoon and dig in.
Dried Grape Compote With Honey Hoşaf
A lightly sweetened refreshing dessert of dried sultanas and honey with a gentle clove background. A dish that is said to have carried an army of soldiers through the first world war
| Category: | Desserts, Drinks & Sweet Treats Store-cupboard Cooking |
| Seasons | |
| Cuisine Type | Latin |
Ingredients
Dried Grape Compote
| 1 Water Glass Sultanas (3/4 Cup) |
| 1 Litre Cold water |
| 2 Cloves |
| 2 Tablespoons Honey |
Dried Grape Compote With Honey Hoşaf Directions
- Wash the dried grape well and drain.
- Add the old water into a saucepan and place the grapes in water.
- Leave to soak for around 30 minutes.
- Add the cloves to the grapes and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave at a low boil for around 10 minutes.
- Stir in the honey and continue to heat for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.
- Cover and leave in the fridge until serving.
Recipe notes
- Hoşaf is a simple drink or dessert made from dried fruits, you can use fruits singularly or in combination. (Try apricot & cranberry with cinnamon & orange)
- It keeps very well in the fridge and is a refreshing, easy to grab, pick me up.
- Made in the summer months with fresh fruit is goes by the name of Koposto.
- You can leave out the added honey or substitute it for sugar should you wish, and increase the amount should you have a sweet tooth.
