Kalliopi's KitchenYIAYIA'S GREEK FOOD RECIPES

Pantry Staples

Walnuts

Καρύδια · Karydia

Shelled walnuts used in Greek desserts and garnishes

Walnuts are the nut most closely tied to Greek dessert cooking, ground fine as the near-entire base of karydopita, a dense, deeply spiced cake that uses walnuts in place of most of the flour a Western cake would use, then soaked in a hot cinnamon-clove syrup the moment it leaves the oven. Epirus, a mountainous region with a long tradition of walnut cultivation, is particularly associated with this style of nut-based baking.

Beyond cakes, chopped or crushed walnuts are one of the most common finishing garnishes across the whole dessert repertoire, scattered over baklava, over a bowl of yogurt and honey, or over the simplest possible dessert of fresh anari cheese with a little honey drizzled on top.

They also turn up, threaded on string, as the base for soutzoukos, whole nuts dipped repeatedly in thickened grape must until a firm, chewy coating builds up in layers, a technique shared with the Georgian sweet churchkhela and found in various forms across the wider Caucasus and eastern Mediterranean.

Photo: Walnuts - whole and open with halved kernel.jpg by Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recipes with walnuts

25 recipes on the site using it.

Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a clove Greek DessertsGreek Baklava Μπακλαβάς · 1h 45m · serves 24 Greek Dips and SaucesMelitzanosalata Μελιτζανοσαλάτα · 45m · serves 6 A bowl of golden loukoumades glossy with honey, dusted with cinnamon and chopped walnuts Greek DessertsLoukoumades Λουκουμάδες · 45m · serves 6 Oval honey-soaked Greek Christmas cookies topped with chopped walnuts Greek DessertsMelomakarona Μελομακάρονα · 1h 5m · serves 30 Strings of Cypriot soutzoukos grape must candy hanging to set Greek DessertsSoutzoukos Σουτζιούκος · 1h 40m · serves 12 Slices of fresh anari cheese drizzled with honey and walnuts Greek DessertsAnari me Meli Ανάρι με μέλι · 5m · serves 4 Curled crisp Greek diples pastry ribbons drenched in honey and walnuts Greek DessertsDiples Δίπλες · 1h 15m · serves 10 A slice of Greek karydopita walnut syrup cake on a plate Greek DessertsKarydopita Καρυδόπιτα · 1h 5m · serves 12 Greek DessertsLalangia Λαλάγγια · 1h 50m · serves 8 A sliced Greek fanouropita spice cake, dusted with cinnamon Greek DessertsFanouropita Φανουρόπιτα · 1h 5m · serves 12 A bowl of thick Greek yogurt topped with honey and crushed walnuts Greek Breakfast RecipesGreek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts Γιαούρτι με μέλι και καρύδια · 5m · serves 1 A stack of Greek tiganites pancakes drizzled with honey and walnuts Greek Breakfast RecipesTiganites me Meli Τηγανίτες με μέλι · 35m · serves 4 A slice of Greek milopita apple phyllo pie showing layered crisp pastry Greek DessertsMilopita Μηλόπιτα · 1h 20m · serves 10 A bowl of chilled Greek tarator yogurt and cucumber soup with walnuts Greek SoupsTarator Ταράτορ · 15m · serves 4 A tray of Greek halvas simigdalenios semolina halva with cinnamon and walnuts Greek DessertsHalvas Simigdalenios Χαλβάς σιμιγδαλένιος · 40m · serves 10 Greek DessertsKarydaki Glyko Καρυδάκι γλυκό · 3h · serves 16 Fried halloumi slices drizzled with honey and sesame seeds Greek Breakfast RecipesHalloumi me Meli Χαλούμι με μέλι · 13m · serves 2 A round Greek Christopsomo Christmas bread with a decorative dough cross Greek Breads and PiesChristopsomo Χριστόψωμο · 1h 45m · serves 12 Greek Breakfast RecipesPaximadia me Meli kai Karydia Παξιμάδια με μέλι και καρύδια · 5m · serves 1 Greek Breakfast RecipesTrahanas me Gala Τραχανάς με γάλα · 17m · serves 2 Greek DessertsSykomaida Συκομαΐδα · 30m · serves 12 Greek DessertsKollyva Κόλλυβα · 2h 15m · serves 20 Strings of Greek soutzouki walnut and grape must candy hanging to set Greek DessertsSoutzouki Σουτζούκι · 2h · serves 10 A tray of Greek kataifi shredded pastry and walnut rolls in syrup Greek DessertsKataifi Κανταΐφι · 1h 15m · serves 12 Greek DessertsKormos Κορμός · 30m · serves 12

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