Koliva

Koliva is offered during a memorial service for the departed, as well as for Saturday of Souls where we remember all of the faithful departed. The traditional preparation of koliva is rich with symbolism, which ultimately points to the eternal cycle of life and death. It is a dish made of primarily boiled wheat, and, traditionally, pomegranate, sugar, raisins parsley, breadcrumbs/sesame seeds, cinnamon, almonds, and/or sugared almonds (Jordan almonds), though there are variations to this list. Often, there are either nine ingredients, which represents the nine ranks of angels, or seven ingredients, representing wholeness. You can read more about the symbolism of the ingredients listed here and also in the recipe below. One prepared, koliva is shaped like a mound, to represent a grave, and decorated on top with the sign of a cross. During the service, lit candles are inserted into the koliva mound. After the koliva is blessed, it is distributed to be consumed by the faithful in community, typically during coffee/fellowship hour. There are many versions and variations for how to make koliva, and you can scroll down for one suggested recipe! 

You are more than welcome to offer Koliva for your miscarried or stillborn baby if you are attending our event in person on October 11th!

Koliva Recipe

Ingredients:

•  4 cups soft wheat berries* (for Saturday of the Soul – use 1 cup since others will likely be offering too.)

•  1 ½ cups raw deskinned almonds (skin is hard to digest; pour hot water on almonds, let it sit for a bit till you can easily rub the skin off)– dry it at ambient then toast in oven (350F toast almonds 10 min. shake to turnover and then for another 10-15min. till it is lightly brown) or even dry frying pan.

•  Walnuts – roughly chopped (walnut shells symbolize the cave for the Nativity)

•  7 packets of Truvia (for people who are diabetic) or use white granulated sugar (reminds one of the sweetness of eternal life)

•  1 cups chopped curly parsley without stems (refers to the green pasture; Psalm 22)

•  1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

•  ½ cumin powder

•  1 ½ Craisins infused with Pomegranate Juice or pomegranate seeds (refers to the many seeds of life)

•  3 heaping teaspoons of white flour to brown in a dry skillet**

Decoration:

•  2 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar

•  White Jordan Almonds

•  Infused Craisins

•  Wheat

•  Parsley

*Note: Soft wheat berries are lighter in color–boiling time takes approximately 60minutes. The wheat must be cracked. Winter (hard) Berries are darker in color–boiling time takes approximately 90 minutes or more.

Instructions:

2 days prior 

1. Soak wheat in cold water for 8 hours or overnight in a large pot; rinse in a colander and drain well. Refrigerate if not immediately drying.

1 day prior 

1. Place drained wheatberries in pot, cover with cold water and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to med-low; cook for 1hour*, until the wheat berries are tender yet still slightly chewy. The wheat must be cracked. 

2. Drain in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Press the wheat with a paper towel to take off excess water. Spread the cooked wheat on a disposable underpad (29”x36” absorbent and no worries about lint or that dampness has soaked through while drying). Dry for approx. 8 hours. If you put a fan on it, be careful not to overdry it causing the wheat to shrivel. Put it in a bowl when it is dry and refrigerate.

3. If using craisins, soak it in some pomegranate juice (can be bottled) for 3 – 4 hours minimum. Then drain well.

Day of offering of the koliva 

1. Take koliva out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature

2. **Add approximately 3 heaping tablespoons of flour into a dry skillet (no oil) for browning by constant stirring but do not burn. This will give a nutty taste. Some other recipes use crushed graham crackers.

3. Gradually add the cooked flour into the large bowl of cooked wheat. Mix well so the berries absorb the flour. If koliva is wet after mixing with the rest of the ingredients will dissolve the powdered sugar used to decorate.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well: almonds, walnuts, Truvia, cinnamon, cumin, parsley and drained infused craisins or pomegranate. Add a little more browned flour if needed so mixture is not wet.

5. Put koliva on a tray or platter and form into a mound (a tomb). Pack it down with wax paper. Then sift powdered sugar over the koliva for a thick layer. Pack it down with wax paper. Sift more powdered sugar until there is no bleed from the mixture.

6. Decorate the way you’d like. At a minimum: use almonds to make a cross. Leave a little space to place one beeswax candle in the center.

Other decorating ideas: place almonds around the edge, use craisins or raisins to create initials of the person if it’s a memorial. Look on internet for designs. The ones made at monasteries are exquisite.

Cautions: Some people have gotten ill when the wheat was fermented. Make sure wheat is dry. Some people have nut allergies, can use sesame seeds instead of nuts. Pomegranate seeds are sometimes hard on the teeth.