Greek Election Day Special: Kolyva On The Menu

Standing nervously on top of a tall ladder yesterday and worrying even more than I usually do, I doubled down (as they say all the time on the news these days) on fear and thought about today’s elections in Greece, which seem to affect so much and so many.  


I mean, it’s really serious business and, although all the media coverage in the world can’t seem to pull any logical thread through the events there, which have been unfolding for so long now, the Repertory Theater of the Unsound Mind that is CNBC (standing in here for all of the media business news outlets) seems continually to be revolving through cycles of Greek Tragedy and Greek Comedy, adding only occasionally some Greek History to the mix. 

Seeking safer harbor and anchorage in the birthplace of Western Civilization, from my ladder perch (I was changing light bulbs in a crystal chandelier) I pondered for several minutes the significance of Kolyva, Greece’s “cycle of life” dessert that is traditionally served at funerals and at Lent.

In her Fruit Book, in the chapter on Pomegranates, Jane Grigson writes memorably about her first encounter with Kolyva in Cyprus:


“We had gone one day to the easternmost tip and promontory of the island to stand on the high site of Aphrodite’s shrine, and look across to Syria, where she had come from.  The road went through a monastery courtyard.  In the morning it was empty.  In the late afternoon, it was full of families, spending the day in little cells. People rushed about, women carried their best bowls carefully and we saw they were full of wheat, decorated with silver bits and pieces and pomegranate seeds.   

Later on, I discovered this special dish is called Kolyva, and its ingredients have a special meaning.  It is made for funerals, and I think that the Sunday we were there was the Greek Orthodox Easter, when the hopelessness of Lent turns to joy, the darkness of Good Friday becomes the Resurrection.  In this dish, said to be a pre-Christian ceremonial dish, wheat stands for everlasting life, raisins and nuts for joy and sweetness, pomegranate seeds for plenty and fertility.  The day ended in another church, with candles, everyone giving us candles, everyone lighting their candles from their neighbors’.  As we drove home in the twilight, we passed other churches with their doors open and more candles burning inside. A greeting for Persephone on her return?”

Here is Jane Grigson’s recipe for Kolyva, an ancient dish connoting austerity, darkness-before-the-light and, one sincerely hopes, rebirth:

½ kg (1 lb) whole wheat, soaked overnight
½ teaspoon salt
300 g (10 oz/2 ½ cups) white flour
125 g ( 4 ½ oz/ 2/3 cup) sultanas
1 tablespoon (2tbs) cumin seeds
1 tablespoon (2 tbs) ground cinnamon
60-75 g (2-3 oz/1/4 – 1/3 cup) sugar
250 g (8 oz/2 cups) walnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespooon (2tbs) chopped parsley (optional)
icing sugar
blanched almonds
silver dragees and balls
seeds from one or two pomegranates

Drain the wheat, then put in a pan and cover generously with water.  Simmer until wheat is soft, about two hours, add the salt and simmer for another minute or two.  Spread on a cloth to dry.  Brown the flour carefully and slowly in a heavy pan over a low heat until it is golden.  Take care not to burn it. Mix half the flour with the wheat, add sultanas, spices and sugar.  Spread into a large shallow bowl, making the top flat.  Mix walnuts and parsley and spread evenly over the top, then cover with the remaining flour.

     Sift icing sugar over the top, pressing it down with a spatula or waxed paper.  Decorate with almonds, silver dragees and balls, and the pomegranate seeds.  At a funeral, there would be a silver cross in the centre, the initials in almonds on either side, and decorative borders of pomegranate seeds and the almonds and silver things.

See you (for ouzo on Mykonos) after the election.

The Goddess Aphrodite Goes West (To The Getty)

Head of Aphrodite ("The Bartlett Head"), Greek, Late Classical or Early Hellenistic Period, about 330–300 B.C. Parian marble.

Typically associated with beauty and erotic desire, Aphrodite is one of the most compelling and powerful of ancient Greek divinities. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love, on view at the Getty Villa from March 28 through July 9, 2012, presents the goddess in her manifold aspects, exploring her precursors in the ancient Near East, her devotees, her companions and offspring, and culminates with her adaptation in Roman religion as Venus. 

“We are thrilled to have worked collaboratively with our colleagues at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to present this first U.S. museum exhibition devoted to Aphrodite, which includes many important works from the collections of both museums as well as from Italian institutions,” says David Bomford, acting director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “This exhibition is an opportunity for a broader examination of the goddess, a favored subject of J. Paul Getty himself.” 

Oil flask (lekythos) in the form of Aphrodite, Greek, Late Classical Period, mid-4th century B.C. Ceramic, Figural.

David Saunders, assistant curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum and curator of the exhibition at the Getty adds, “This exhibition goes beyond the conventional preconceptions of Aphrodite as simply the goddess of love. It reveals other sides of her that deserve attention—her role as a protectress in certain cities, for example, or her care for sailors and merchants. Furthermore, we demonstrate that she was not always benevolent. There are numerous cases in which she and Eros manipulate the desires of both men and gods.” 

Statuette of Aphrodite untying a sandal (Sandalbinder), Greek, East Greek, Late Hellenistic Period, 1st century B.C. Terracotta.

The exhibition begins with Aphrodite as we expect her—nude, beautiful, and seductive. Her naked body was first depicted by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 350 B.C., and his sensational cult statue for her temple at Knidos (in present-day Turkey)—now lost— proved enormously influential. In the exhibition, sculptures showing Aphrodite bathing and dressing herself represent the major variations of the female nude. In addition, perfume vessels, storage jars, and mirrors demonstrate how the goddess served as a model for women in their boudoirs and baths. 

Sleeping Hermaphrodite, Roman, Imperial Period, 1st century B.C. Marble. Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma.

 Having outlined what is familiar about Aphrodite, the exhibition turns to lesser known themes. First is the vexed question of her origins. She was not native to early Greek religion but evolved over centuries, influenced by a variety of Near Eastern goddesses associated with power, fertility, and war. Figurines from Cyprus and the Near East dating as far back as the third millennium B.C. are used to explore the complex story of the goddess’s genesis. The next section of the exhibition looks at Aphrodite’s involvement in affairs of the heart, most notably in the mythical Judgment of Paris, when she offered Helen, queen of Sparta, as her prize. 

The Judgment of Paris, Roman, Imperial Period, 45–79 A.D. Fresco. Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli.

Aphrodite was hardly a model wife herself, and the child of her liaison with Hermes was Hermaphroditos, represented in the exhibition by the magnificent sculpture of the Sleeping Hermaphrodite from the Palazzo Massimo in Rome. The fickle nature of Aphrodite’s companion, and in some sources, son, Eros is also explored in this section. He is a child who toys with lovers, and is often described in ancient texts as capricious and troublesome. Many of the depictions of Eros in the exhibition reinforce this notion. One terracotta statue portrays him as a young boy wearing a lion-skin, just like Herakles. The combination looks endearing, but conveys how powerful and potentially destructive desire can be. 

Statuette of Eros wearing the lionskin of Herakles, Greek, East Greek, Hellenistic Period, 1st century B.C. Terracotta.

 

The final section of the exhibition focuses on Aphrodite’s worship, using material from sites such as Athens, Cyprus, Naukratis, and Aphrodisias to examine the identity of her devotees, the kinds of offerings they made, and regional cults. On display only at the Getty Villa are votive offerings from Aphrodite’s sanctuary at the Etruscan port of Gravisca. 

Statuette of Aphrodite emerging from the sea, Greek or Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, Hellenistic or Imperial Period, 1st century B.C. or 1st century A.D. Marble probably from the Greek island of Paros.

These demonstrate her importance to merchants, for her powers over the sea meant that she could permit smooth-sailing for travelers. At the center of this section stands the Capua Venus, an over life-size Roman statue discovered in the amphitheater at Capua. This imposing figure originally held a shield, a symbol of Aphrodite’s much-debated martial nature. The statue also looks forward to the final section of the exhibition—the similarities and differences between the Greek goddess, and Venus, her Roman counterpart.

Votive Relief with Aphrodite and devotees, Greek, Late Classical period, 4th century B.C. Marble. Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. 

NOTE:  

This exhibition looks splendid.  I’m sorry I didn’t see it in Boston, but my travels lately have been tightly circumscribed.  If you are looking for me (unlikely, but possible), I’m easy to find.    I answer to several names, however.  

Spring is here and the time is righter than ever (as Cliff Richard used to say in response to nagging questions about when he would finally marry)  for Aphrodite.  If I were in Los Angeles, I would make tracks to the Getty Villa  to visit this show.