Romanian “Coliva” (term is also used under different forms in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria) is, according to Wikipedia, “boiled wheat which is used liturgically in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches”.

This traditional food is usually prepared for the days we comemorate our dead ones - special religious holidays. On these days mostly women (sometimes men too) bring to the church coliva and other kind of food as bread, fruits, cakes, and so on, or even cooked meals such as sarmale and a bottle of wine.

All these are blessed during the liturgical service and then they are given to the poor, friends, neighbours or members of the family.

Besides boiled wheat, coliva also contains sugar, walnuts,lemon zest, cinnamon and sometimes people cook it as a desert.

Here you can find one version of its recipe if you would like to prepare it yourself!

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