Luzina is a modern version of a medieval Arab candy made of almonds. According to The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets by Darra Goldstein, lauzinaj, as it is more commonly known, (louz is almond in Arabic) was prepared in two different way, both are far from the Iraqi-Jewish luzina that is popular today.
One version, Lauzinaj mugharraq (drenched lauzinaj) was actually an early version of the Ottoman baklava. It was made with very thin dough, stuffed with ground nuts, sugar and rose water. the pastry was rolled and then sliced to small sections.
The second version, lauzinaj yabis (dry lauzinaj) was similar to marzipan.
Today’s Iraqi versions, lauzīna or luzina, is made with either almond, coconut, orange rind or quince. The quince version, as it appears in here, is decorated or mixed with whole or ground almonds, and sometimes walnuts or pistachio. Iraqi Jews make the candy for Rosh Hashanah, when quince are in season.
Iraqi quince and almond candies (luzina)
Course: Desserts, candyCuisine: Iraqi, JewishDifficulty: Medium30
candies20
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minutesLuzina is an Iraqi almond and quince paste candy that Iraqi Jews serve on Rosh Hashanah.
you can make it with or without the almonds (or replace them with walnuts or pistachio.)
Quince are available usually during the fall months only. In the USA they’re easier to find in Asian, Latin and Middle Eastern supermarkets.
*Note: Quince variety in the USA is different from the variety available in Israel. The one popular in Israel is very hard and needs to be cooked before you can peel and cut it. The quince available in the USA is softer, and makes cooking easier, since you can peel and dice it before cooking. This recipe is for the American, softer quince. If you’re following the recipe in Israel, know that you first need to cook the quince whole for about 45 minutes. Peel and dice it and only then start cooking according to the recipe below.
INGREDIENTS
5 quince (about 2½ lb. *see note above)
1 lb. 4 oz. (2⅔ cups) sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon peeled cardamom pods, crushed with mortar and pestle
¼ cup ground almond (optional)
1 cup shredded coconut
DIRECTIONS
- Peel quince, core and cut to ½ inch dice. Put in a heavy bottom pot together with the sugar, lemon juice, water and cardamom. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for an hour. Remove any thick foam with a large spoon during cooking time. If the mixture becomes too thick, you can add a little hot water.
- At the end of the hour you want the quince to be orange-red and very tender and the syrup to be very thick. Taste and add lemon juice if you want.
- Transfer quince with all the liquid to a blender and mix to a smooth paste. Mix ground almonds into the paste.
- Spray a 9″ x 9″ pan with oil and line with parchment paper. Sprinkle a thin layer of coconut at the bottom of the pan then pour the still hot quince paste onto the pan. Use a metal spatula to spread the paste evenly in the pan and sprinkle the top with more coconut.
- Let the luzina cool down, then cover with aluminum foil and chill in the fridge for a few hours.
- Remove luzina from the fridge, use the parchment paper to transfer it to a cutting board. Use a large knife to slice luzina to the traditional diamond shape. Keep in the fridge in a sealed container up to two weeks.
