Cypriot Almond Sweet Recipe (Glyko Amygdalou)

Limnatis, a village in the Limassol district, sits in the part of Cyprus that grows the most almonds, and this sweet is how the villages around it used their crop. The almonds are shelled and ground, then a syrup of sugar and water flavoured with lemon, mastic and rose water is worked into them a little at a time until the whole lot turns into one smooth, soft mass.

The result is something between a spoon sweet and a soft marzipan. It is spooned out of the jar onto a small plate and served with a glass of cold water and a coffee, the same way Cypriots offer cherry or rose petal spoon sweets to visitors.

Each year Limnatis holds a fair for the almond blossom, and making this sweet is one of the things shown there. The Cyprus government's food guide lists it as a traditional product of the area but gives the method without quantities, so the amounts here are this site's own.

Key preparation steps

Grind blanched almonds finely.
Boil sugar and water to a light syrup with lemon and mastic.
Add rose water, then work the syrup into the almonds a little at a time.
Spoon into clean jars.

The almonds

Blanched almonds give a pale, smooth sweet. In the villages the almonds were simply shelled and milled, and leaving the skins on gives a darker colour and a slightly bitter edge, which some people prefer. Either way, grind them as finely as you can. Pulse them in a food processor in short bursts and stop before they turn oily, because over-ground almonds become almond butter.

Either way, grind them as finely as you can.Yiayia

The syrup

The syrup only needs to boil for about 5 minutes, until it is slightly thick and a drop between two fingers feels sticky. A heavier syrup makes the sweet set hard in the jar. Mastic has to be crushed with a little sugar first or it sticks to everything, and the rose water goes in off the heat so its smell does not boil away.

Bringing it together

Pour the hot syrup over the ground almonds a ladle at a time and mix well after each addition with a wooden spoon. Stop adding syrup when the mixture is smooth, glossy and soft enough to drop slowly from the spoon. It firms up as it cools, so if it already feels stiff while hot, it will be too stiff in the jar. A spoonful of hot water loosens it.

What matters in this dish

Crush the mastic with sugar

Mastic is sticky and will gum up a mortar or a grinder on its own. Crushed together with a teaspoon of sugar it turns into a fine powder that dissolves into the syrup.

Do not boil the syrup too long

Five minutes is enough. Syrup boiled to a thick, sticky stage sets the almonds into a hard block once it cools.

Use dry jars and a clean spoon

Water or crumbs carried into the jar shorten its life. Always take the sweet out with a clean, dry spoon.

Questions people ask about Glyko Amygdalou

Is glyko amygdalou the same as marzipan?

It is close, since both are almonds and sugar, but glyko amygdalou is softer and looser, made with a light syrup rather than cooked to a stiff paste, and it is flavoured with mastic, rose water and lemon. It is eaten from a spoon rather than shaped.

How long does it keep?

In a closed jar in a cool cupboard it keeps for about a month. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use a clean, dry spoon each time.

Is it vegan?

Yes. It is almonds, sugar, water, lemon, mastic and rose water, so it is also fine for the Orthodox fasts.

What can you use instead of mastic?

Mastic has its own pine-like flavour and there is no real substitute. If you cannot get it, leave it out and the sweet will taste of almond, rose and lemon, which is still good.

Cypriot Almond Sweet (Glyko Amygdalou)