🥃 Petimezi

Petimezi is a Greek syrup made from boiled-down grape must. It is made by evaporating fresh grape juice for a long time until it thickens. What remains is a dark, thick, sweet liquid smelling of grapes. It is one form of grape syrup, like Turkish pekmez.

In Greece and Cyprus petimezi has been cooked since ancient times. It is used to sweeten baking and sweets, added to yogurt and cheese, and poured over pancakes. Grape must with flour is also used for moustalevria, a traditional pudding-like dessert. In the past the syrup was the main sweetener, since sugar was scarce and grapes grew everywhere.

Petimezi is a product that winemaking gives besides wine. The same grapes that go into wine are taken, but the juice is cooked instead of fermented. The syrup keeps for a long time. In recent years it has been valued again as a natural alternative to sugar. It is tied to Greek and Cypriot wine and belongs to the general group of grape products.