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The traditional ravani
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Our well-known revani or ravani, figures twice in syrupy sweets in the shop windows of confectioneries for more than a century now. This fluffy syrupy pan confection stands out for its golden yellow color and honey flavor. But how did it become one of the most beloved syrupy sweets?

Ravani Veria Its roots reach, like all syrupy desserts, from the Middle East and Egypt. In Arab countries it was established under the name basbousa and could, apart from the basic ingredients, contain grated coconut. In Turkey, a traditional sweet known as revani me Sherbet, revani for short, which means thick oil in Persian, is quite widespread. In Greece during the years of Turkish rule, revani was a sweet that the Ottomans used to eat. In the 19th century, its traditional recipe passed from the Muslim inhabitants into Greek hands. However, the city that first started producing it and making it known throughout Greece is Veria. Its history therefore begins with a small milk and confectionery shop in 1886 in the center of the city of Veria which, with official permission from the Ottoman authorities, could produce and sell the hitherto unknown syrup. With the passage of time, its fame spread throughout Greece and became the trademark of the city. The recipe has remained a sealed secret for 130 years and is passed from beard to beard with absolute secrecy. Visitors from all over the country still come today to taste the famous rhubarb.
From tradition to today In the rest of Greece, the recipe is roughly the same. A fluffy cake made with egg, fine semolina and necessarily syruped with syrup at the end. In other variations, yogurt can be found in the ingredients to balance the sweetness. The syrup poured over after baking is flavored with either lemon or orange peels. Although it is quite similar to the eastern samali, nevertheless it is richer in taste, fluffier and it is not a fasting dessert since it contains eggs. An economical and easy dessert that is not only celebrated during the holidays but can be on our table every day. In fact, on the hottest days of the year, it combines wonderfully with a scoop of cream or vanilla ice cream.
