Loukoumi GeroskipouΛουκούμι Γεροσκήπου

Appearance & taste

Loukoumi Geroskipou is a confection whose main ingredient is sugar. It has a gelatinous consistency and an intense sweetness and is cut at right angles into parallelogram-shaped pieces of about 20 × 20 × 25 mm. The pieces are dusted with icing sugar or grated coconut.

Depending on the flavouring, there are various flavours, including rose, strawberry, mandarin, orange, mint, pineapple, bergamot, banana, lemon, pistachio, Chios mastic, vanilla, chocolate and coconut. For some varieties a colouring is added, such as red for rose and strawberry, orange for mandarin and orange, green for mint and pineapple. Dried fruit, honey or dark chocolate may also be mixed into the mixture.

Production

The loukoumi is made in large kettles with stirring hooks. First water goes into the heated kettle, then sugar and citric acid. After 35 minutes of simmering at 100 °C, the cornflour, previously dissolved in cold water, is added. For every 100 litres of water there are 90 kg of sugar and 15 kg of cornflour. The mixture is then stirred for two hours at 100 to 130 °C at 36 revolutions per minute; during this time the flavourings and, depending on the variety, colouring or nuts are added.

The permitted nuts are almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts and hazelnuts. They are shelled, sorted, skinned in hot water, roasted and chopped and added to the hot mixture shortly before it is poured out. The thick mixture is poured onto large trays and left to stand until it takes on its gelatinous consistency; after cooling it is cut, dusted and packed.

Production, cutting and packing must take place at the same location in the municipality of Geroskipou. Transporting the unpacked product would carry a risk of contamination, and the transport time and changes in temperature would make cutting more difficult and alter the characteristics, above all through more moisture in the mixture.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipality of Geroskipou. According to the specification, the link with the area is purely historical: the raw materials are industrial products and do not come from the region, with the exception of the almonds and honey from the province of Paphos.

Production in Geroskipou began in 1895 and has since been continued by the descendants of the first producer in the same way and at the same location; the recipe is passed down from generation to generation. According to the specification, loukoumi is one of the oldest confections made in Cyprus and is today the hallmark of Geroskipou, listed first in brochures about the town. Literary mentions include Nikos Kazantzakis in “Taxidevontas” (1926), Ioannis Panagiotopoulos in “I Kypros ena taxidi” (1962) and William Forwood in “Cyprus Invitation” (1971).