REVANI

Semolina, made of durum wheat, is a favourite ingredient of sweet and savory dishes in most parts of the world. It is essential for apothermum & Guryevskaya kasha as well as torta di semolina by Pellegrino Artusi that we have already featured in this blog. Today's post is dedicated to  revani or ravani or rovani, which is known as bamboussa in Middle-eastern cuisine, and belongs to the vast category of dense syrup cakes that were introduced to southeastern Europe & northern Africa during the Ottoman Turkish rule.

 

Ploughed Fields ('The Furrows') - Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

 

The name revani is the simplified version of 'revğani' (=oily, syrupy), an Ottoman Turkish derivative of the Persian word 'rowğan' (=oil, butter).

Revani is the lightest of syrup cakes that are made in the Balkans. The original recipe, with many different versions, has been passed from one generation to the next, sometimes in written form. The basic ingredients for revani are finely-milled semolina, wheat flour, eggs, and sugar. A dense syrup is made with sugar, water, lemon peel and, occasionally, butter, and sprinkled all over the cake while it's hot. In some cases, the dry ingredients are moistened with yoghurt (as in samali or sambali, another famous syrup cake from the Middle East) and the most extravagant version of revani is enriched with shredded coconut. In the last several decades, it's been the fashion to accompany revani with a scoop of vanilla icecream.

The nearest Greek equivalent to revani is the orange syrup cake without 'fyllo'. It's called 'portokalopita' (=orange-flavored pie).

 

REVANI

This version is slightly adapted from 'revani with orange and lemon', a traditional Greek recipe of uknown origin featured in Το ψωμί και τα γλυκίσματα των Ελλήνων  - a study on traditional Greek bread and sweets by M. & N. Psilakis. I chose it because it gives the alternative of using olive oil.

 

I n g r e d i e n t s

2 cups finely-milled semolina

1 cup plain flour

1 cup ground almonds (+20 or 30 whole, for the optional decoration)

1tbsp baking powder

the grated zest of an orange

the grated zest of a lemon

6 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or 1 cup melted butter)

the juice of a large orange

for the syrup:

2 2/3 cups sugar

2 cups water

the juice and skin of a lemon

M e t h o d

1. Set the oven to 180oC. 2. Combine the semolina, flour, almonds, baking powder, orange and lemon zest in a bowl. 3. Beat the yolks with the sugar and the oil (or butter), gradually adding the orange juice and the dry ingredients. 4. Beat the egg whites stiff and fold into the batter. 5. Pour into a lightly greased and floured 26cm round (or 30x20cm oblong) baking tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. 6. Leave to cool for a while in the baking tin. Meanwhile, boil the syrup ingredients for 5 minutes, then remove the lemon skin. 7. Divide the cake into wedges, squares or lozenges and pour the syrup all over, using a ladle or metal spoon. 8. Place a slivered almond on top of each portion, if liked.

 

N o t e s

Revani is best served warm but just as lovely on the next day. It's best to refrigerate leftover cake, under a dome or protected with  a sheet of aluminum foil or cling film - to avoid it's getting dry.

V a r i a t i o n

Revani with carrots. For 1 cup plain flour, use 2 cups shredded carrot and 1 cup coarsely-milled semolina. Replace the orange juice with 240-250g Greek-style yoghurt and orange & lemon zest with 1tsp vanilla sugar. (This recipe is from Γεύσεις από τη Μικρασία by Constantinople-born author Elika Pavlidou.)