Revani

Dessert of revani (cake soaked in honey with semolina and yoghurt) was lovely.

Revani, a rich almond cake with cinnamon-brandy syrup, is probably the most popular of all syrup cakes. After visiting a pastry shop in northern Greece, Kochilas recalls just how popular revani is: “The shop sells nothing but trays and trays of revani . . . for the lines of people who are always waiting, inside and out.”

Revani is a dessert made from semolina and syrup, which is mostly consumed in Middle Eastern countries and in Turkey. However celiac patients cannot consume revani because semolina contains gluten.

Mazhar looks up at me before slicing into his revani. A tiny mountain of pistachios crumbles into the lemon syrup, and cake crumbs dribble onto the front of his maroon sweatshirt. […] I copy him. The syrup is both tart and sweet, the pistachios crunchy and earthy on my tongue. […] I stuff another forkful of revani into my mouth.