kliva

It is interesting to note that Greek Sephardic Jews serve kliva not to mark deaths but to celebrate births, thus further reaffirming the deep regenerative, life-giving symbolism of the wheat grains and pomegranate seeds.

The Summer of My Greek Tavérna Tom Stone 2002

Between us, on the wooden cover of an olive oil tin used to carry water from the well, sat an untouched dish of kliva.

The Summer of My Greek Tavérna Tom Stone 2002

So today, kliva page 244 is passed out to Greek Orthodox congregations on occasions such as Pentecost that observe, in one way or another, this cycle of death and rebirth.

The Summer of My Greek Tavérna Tom Stone 2002

Made of boiled wheat kernels mixed with powdered sugar, sesame seeds, slivered almonds, raisins, and pomegranate seeds, kliva’s ingredients are redolent of both death and life, of the underworld and the resurrection.

The Summer of My Greek Tavérna Tom Stone 2002

Later that morning after all of us had awoken and were sitting on the terrace having breakfast and enjoying the hot June morning sun, the morbid vapors of my previous night’s wanderings again arose when Varvra and Stélios returned from church and presented us with our very own plate of kliva, the sweet and delicious memorial dish of the dead.

The Summer of My Greek Tavérna Tom Stone 2002