There is always a warm welcome for visitors to any Cypriot household and within minutes the hostess always offers her guests a cup of coffee. When it is served more often than not it is accompanied by a small plate bearing a piece of fruit pierced with a tiny fork and the promise of a truly delicious mouthful of preserved Cyprus fruit!

Cyprus 'glyko' is just that- pieces of different seasonal fruit that have been preserved using the traditional recipe for a thick sugar syrup and kept in the family store cupboard to be enjoyed later in the year when the fruit is out of season. Local housewives have made glyko {plural 'glyka'} for centuries so that their family could enjoy the fruit in the cooler winter months. Importantly local; housewives always have several jars in the cupboard so that they can serve this delicacy to guests. This tradition was originally brought to Cyprus from the Middle East and of course in medieval times, Cyprus had its own sugar cane plantations and refinery and there are several references from that period referring to 'sugar boilers'- people who made sugar syrup. For many years making glyka was the perfect way to preserve fruit as there were no deep freezers in those days!

There is a wide range of fruit that can be successfully made into glyka the usual - including apricots, cherries and figs, the more surprising- orange peel and pieces of skin from watermelon and the most unusual and highly prized - tiny cream-coloured aubergines and green walnuts. As each type of fruit comes into season housewives busy themselves making a large pan of glyka that they distribute amongst their relatives.

Commercially-made glyko is available in many supermarkets and is a very tasty and unusual souvenir to take home. If you are planning a trip up to the mountains there is a little village on the main road between Limassol- Platres called Trimiklini where the villagers sell their glyko at colourful roadside stalls! Whilst all the different glyka taste good, the most prized is the green walnut which is a speciality of the Pitsillia region which has the greatest concentration of walnut trees. Karidhi is the most difficult type of glyko to make as it is vital that the walnuts are gathered from the tree when they are still soft and green. If you open the shell it will reveal the nut kernel inside still creamy white in colour and very soft and the encasing shells have not started to form yet. The next job is to skin the walnuts - something not recommended without gloves as it turns the hands black - one nameless gentleman forgot his gloves this year whilst helping his mother, stained his hands really badly and realised to his horror that they would remain stained for several weeks - and he was to be 'Koumbaros' - 'Best Man' to his friend just days later! Because the green walnuts are bitter, more sugar is used which explains why this type of glyko is usually the most expensive.

Interestingly, as housewives everywhere bake their Christmas cakes, it is the use of glyka that give the Cypriot Christmas cake its distinct flavour - that and the almonds and sprinkling of orange water that is added once the cake is cooling.

Making glyko is certainly an art and careful selection of the fruit is vital - not too ripe and yet ripe enough , and obviously only of the very best quality. There are many diffrerent recipes that have been handed down from mother to daughter and the best way to learn the secrets of success is to watch a Cypriot housewife in the kitchen!
A variation on a theme is to make a mixed glyka using a variety of different fruit including cherries, grapes and apricots or a selection of your own favourite fruit.

The perfect 'welcome' treat!

1 kg mixed fruit, washed stoned and top and tailed if necessary.
600ml water
700g sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
several pieces of lemon zest

1. Carefully prepare the fruit and discard any that are blemished in any way. Remove all stalks, stones, pips etc.
2. Pour the water into a really large saucepan. Add the sugar and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Boil the syrup for five minutes.
4. Add the fruit with the lemon juice and zest and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Pour into a large ovenproof bowl. Cover and leave overnight to cool.
5. The next day return the fruit and syrup to the cleaned saucepan and bring back to the boil.
6. Simmer gently for five minutes and then return to the cleaned bowl. Cover and leave once again overnight.
7. Remove the lemon zest and spoon the glyka into warm, sterilised screw top jars. Store until needed in a cool dry cupboard.
8. Serve to guests by placing several pieces on a tiny plate with a small gateaux fork and accompany with a cup of Cyprus coffee and a glass of chilled water.