Shpot or Shpot – rustic Armenian dessert made from grape syrup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 kg grapes, red
• 1 stalk(s) cinnamon
• 5 carnations
• 3 cardamom pods
• 40 g corn flour, fine
• 100 g wheat flour
• 100 g walnuts

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 7 hours 30 minutes

without spices also known in Georgian cuisine as Pelamushi

There are hardly any independent dessert recipes in the Caucasus. Fresh fruit or cake is usually served after a meal. Shpot probably originated as a by-product of winemaking. To make shpot, first mash the grapes vigorously and press the mixture through a sieve. The idea is to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Tie the spices in a fine cloth and simmer with the juice over low heat for two to three hours until the liquid has reduced by a little more than half. Remove the spice bag and season to taste. Depending on the sweetness of the grapes used, add more sugar or water. Remove a little syrup and stir in the cornmeal. Pour it back in and bring to a boil again. Now sprinkle in enough flour until the boiling syrup thickens into a thick paste. The ratio of cornmeal to wheat flour varies depending on the region. The dish can also be prepared using only one type of flour. Pour the mixture into dessert bowls and let it cool. If stored in the refrigerator, the sugar crystallizes and forms small crystal blooms on the surface. This slightly impairs the appearance but doesn’t alter the flavor. To serve, turn out of the mold onto a plate and garnish with chopped walnuts. The dish can be prepared in the same way with white grapes, but it won’t have the beautiful, intense color and, of course, will have a slightly different flavor.