Are kolokotes sweet or savoury?

They sit in between. The pumpkin and bulgur are earthy and savoury, but the raisins and cinnamon give a gentle sweetness, so they read more like a lightly spiced pumpkin pasty than a plain vegetable pie.

Why are kolokotes a Lenten dish?

They contain no meat, dairy or egg, only pumpkin, bulgur, raisins and an olive oil pastry, which makes them suitable for the Orthodox fasting periods when those foods are avoided. That is why they are so common during Lent in Cyprus.

Can you use butternut squash instead of pumpkin?

Yes, a firm, dry-fleshed squash like butternut works well and is often easier to find. Avoid very watery pumpkins, which release too much liquid for the bulgur to absorb cleanly.

Cypriot Pumpkin and Bulgur Pasties Recipe (Kolokotes)

Kolokotes are the Cypriot answer to the hand pie, filled with grated pumpkin, coarse bulgur and raisins, folded into an olive oil pastry and baked until golden, and because they contain no meat, dairy or egg they belong firmly to the fasting kitchen and appear everywhere across the island during Lent.

The clever part of the filling is the bulgur, which is added raw and soaks up the moisture that the pumpkin releases as it bakes, so the filling firms up and holds together instead of turning to a wet, collapsing mush inside the pastry.

The seasoning is gently sweet rather than savoury, raisins and cinnamon against the earthy pumpkin, which is what places kolokotes closer to a spiced pumpkin pasty than to a plain vegetable pie.

Key preparation steps

Mix grated pumpkin with coarse bulgur, raisins and cinnamon.
Make a simple olive oil pastry.
Fill and fold into parcels.
Bake until golden.

The filling

Combine grated pumpkin with coarse bulgur, raisins, cinnamon, a little sugar, olive oil and salt, then leave it to sit for a while. The bulgur goes in raw, and as it sits and then bakes it draws up the moisture the pumpkin releases, so the filling sets rather than staying watery.

The pastry

Make a simple, sturdy dough from flour, olive oil, a little salt and water, firm enough to roll and fold around a wet filling without tearing. This is a workaday olive oil pastry, not a delicate one, made to hold its shape and hold its contents.

Filling and baking

Roll the pastry, cut into rounds or squares, spoon filling onto each, and fold and seal into parcels, then brush with oil and bake until golden and firm. As they bake the bulgur finishes cooking and swells, binding the filling into something you can pick up and eat in the hand.

What matters in this dish

Add the bulgur raw

It needs to go in dry so it can soak up the moisture the pumpkin releases as it sits and bakes. This is what firms the filling and stops it turning watery.

Let the filling sit before you fill

Giving it half an hour lets the bulgur start swelling and draws out excess liquid, so the parcels are easier to seal and hold together better.

Seal the edges well

A wet filling will find any gap. Press or crimp the edges firmly so the parcels do not open and leak while baking.

Cypriot Pumpkin and Bulgur Pasties (Kolokotes)