Greek Main Courses · Cyprus · Boiled and Simmered · Name Days
Cypriot Wedding Wheat and Lamb (Resi)
Ρέσι REH-see · Resi
In short
Resi is a traditional Cypriot wedding dish of coarsely pounded wheat cooked slowly for hours in lamb broth until it breaks down into a thick, creamy porridge, then finished with browned butter and cinnamon. It was historically cooked in huge cauldrons for whole villages, and its long, patient stirring is exactly what turns plain wheat and meat into something rich and celebratory.
Cypriot Wedding Wheat and Lamb
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 2h 30m
- Total
- 2h 50m
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Intermediate
Ingredients
Ingredients
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Method
- 01Put the lamb in a large pot with the cinnamon stick, a good pinch of salt and enough water to cover generously. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 90 minutes, until the meat is very tender.
- 02Lift out the lamb, pull the meat from the bones and set it aside. Keep the broth simmering.
Lamb - 03Add the pounded wheat to the broth. Simmer slowly, stirring often, for 60 to 75 minutes, until the wheat is soft and creamy, adding hot water or broth if it thickens too much.Keep hot broth on hand.Yiayia
- 04Stir the shredded lamb back through and season with salt and pepper.
Salt - 05Brown the butter in a small pan until it smells nutty.
- 06Serve in bowls, pour over the browned butter and dust heavily with ground cinnamon.
Butter
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 462
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Sat fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Resi is Cypriot wedding food in the most literal sense, historically cooked in enormous cauldrons the night before a wedding and stirred in shifts for hours, a dish of coarsely pounded wheat simmered in lamb broth until the grains break down into a thick, creamy porridge somewhere between a pilaf and a savoury pudding.
The whole character of the dish comes from time rather than from any long ingredient list, since it is really just wheat, lamb and its broth, cinnamon and good fat, and everything depends on cooking the wheat slowly enough and long enough that it gives up its starch and turns genuinely creamy.
It is finished simply, with browned butter or oil poured over and a heavy dusting of cinnamon, the warm spice against the rich wheat being the flavour every Cypriot associates with a village wedding.
Key preparation steps
- Simmer lamb on the bone to make a rich broth.
- Cook the pounded wheat slowly in that broth.
- Stir often until thick and creamy.
- Return the meat and finish with browned butter and cinnamon.
The broth and meat
Simmer lamb on the bone gently in plenty of water with salt and a cinnamon stick until the meat is completely tender and you have a rich broth, then lift out the lamb, pull it from the bones and set it aside. The broth is the whole cooking medium for the wheat, so it needs real flavour.
Cooking the wheat
Add the coarsely pounded wheat to the simmering broth and cook it slowly, stirring often, for well over an hour, topping up with more hot broth or water as it thickens. This long, patient cooking is not optional: it is what breaks the wheat down and gives resi its characteristic thick, creamy texture rather than a loose, grainy one.
Finishing
Once the wheat is soft and creamy, stir the shredded lamb back through, then finish each bowl with browned butter or oil poured over the top and a generous dusting of cinnamon, which is the traditional and, for most Cypriots, essential final touch.
What matters in this dish
Do not rush the wheat
The creamy texture only comes from long, slow cooking that lets the wheat give up its starch. Cooked too fast, it stays grainy and loose rather than thick and porridge-like.
Keep hot broth on hand
Resi thickens a lot as it cooks and again as it sits. Loosen it with hot broth or water so it stays creamy rather than stiff and dry.
Do not skip the cinnamon finish
The browned butter and heavy cinnamon on top are what make resi taste like the wedding dish it is, not an optional garnish.
Questions people ask about Resi
What wheat is used for resi?
Coarsely pounded or cracked whole wheat, sometimes sold specifically as resi wheat or as a coarse pligouri. It is a larger, coarser grind than the fine bulgur used for salads, which is what lets it cook down slowly into a creamy texture.
Can resi be made with chicken instead of lamb?
Lamb, or sometimes goat, is the traditional wedding version and gives the richest result. Chicken is used in some households for a lighter everyday version, cooked the same way in its own broth.
Why is resi associated with weddings?
It was historically cooked in huge quantities in cauldrons to feed whole villages at a wedding, stirred through the night in shifts. The effort and the scale are part of why it became a celebration dish rather than everyday food.
