Polish Dried Fruit Juice {Kompot z Suszu}

Anna

6 years ago

69 / 100

Polish Dried Fruit Juice {Kompot z suszu}

Kompot z suszu [kohm-poht z soo-shoo] is a sweet and fragrant juice made of dried fruit and spices only, no sugar added. Despite the fact, it can be very sweet. I normally dilute it to get it to the level of sweetness I like. Kompot is ALWAYS present as Christmas and I don’t know anyone who does not like, or make it for the holidays. It is solely made for the occasion so the flavor immediately puts me in a Christmas spirit.

In my home growing up, juice was made with apples and pears that were picked in my grandparents’ garden. Carefully cleaned and sliced, they were sun-dried and stored in a cotton bag for the winter. Juice made with the fruit had a very distinct flavor, one I cannot replicate exactly with store-bought fruit. My dream is to have an apple tree or two in my back yard, when I grow up. This way I can go back to my childhood every time I make it. That is the only connection I have left to all 4 of my grandparents. Memories triggered by flavors and smells, and I love “waking” them up by cooking recipes of my ancestors.

Polish Dried Fruit Juice {Kompot z Suszu}

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 c of dried fruit (apples, prunes, mango, raisins, cranberries, pears)
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
6 c of water

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a pot and boil on low for 30 minutes. Store overnight.
Next day, taste and dilute to desired sweetness.

Notes

Fruit are also eaten as a dessert, but normally there is some left. I normally put the remaining uneaten fruit into a food processor and blend until smooth (remember to remove spices before doing this). We eat this delicious blended dried fruit jam as jelly on toast, add it to oatmeal or smear over pancakes.

Enjoy your time with family and smacznego!

Much love,

Anna

69 / 100