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    Home » Recipes

    Cherry Gliko (Spoon Sweet)

    Published: Jul 16, 2020 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    • 12
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cherry Gliko (or Liko) is a Spoon Sweet preserve made out of pitted whole cherries. In my native country of Albania it is used as a topping or as a Spoon Sweet to welcome people in your house when they visit.

    Cherry Gliko or Liko, a spoon sweet preserve shown in a mason jar filled up to the top. There's fresh cherry around the jar as garnish.
    Cherry Gliko (Liko Qershije)

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    What Is Spoon Sweet?

    Spoon Sweet are preserves usually made of fruit. They are prepared in a similar method to jams, just more time consuming since it requires a more elegant presentation. Several Balkan countries serve spoon sweet made with different fruits to welcome people in their house.

    It is customary in my native country of Albania to serve a spoon sweet with a glass of water and Turkish coffee to people visiting your house. As someone who grew up in a multi-generational home, we did have a lot of people visiting. My mom used to can the spoon sweets of different fruits so we could always have something sweet to offer our guests.

    We called Cherry Gliko in my native language ‘Liko Qershie’.

    A serving of Cherry Spoon Sweet preserve on a spoon, garnished with mint.
    Cherry Spoon Sweet

    Regular Cherry Jam vs Gliko (Liko)

    Anytime I can find cherry at the local farmer’s market I tend to buy a big bag and make jam with it. There are similarities in making Cherry Jam vs Cherry Gliko but there are also differences.

    • Cherries can be ripe and soft for jam, but you need them to be ripe and firm for gliko because cherries need to hold the shape after cooking.
    • I tend to let cherry jam cook once until it reaches the consistency I want, however cherry gliko is cooked twice on slow heat to allow for the syrup to set.
    • To make cherry jam, you add sugar when you are setting cherries and water to boil. While to make cherry gliko you mix cherries with sugar and let it chill for few hours. This process allows the cherries to absorb the sugar and this process will allows them maintaining their shape too.
    • Cherry jam is usually not garnished and is served with buttered toast. Cherry spoon sweet is served in a small dish, over a spoon and usually garnished with mint or ‘mullaga’ (a local plant to South of Albania, my grandparents always had a pot or two of it in the balcony).
    A jar of cherry liko shown next to a serving of it. The serving is on a spoon, placed in a white small plate. The spoon sweet is garnished with mint.
    Jar & Serving Of Cherry Gliko

    Pitting Cherries

    Back home, I remember helping out with pitting cherries. It was really an acquired skill. Women pitted cherries using the crochet stick or big needle they used to sew big comforters together!! Such a different world.

    I was surprised when my friend Becky told me about this tool to pit cherries, it makes it so much easier. There are different versions of it in the market, I haven’t tried them all but here is the cherry pitter I use.

    Note – Keep the cherry stems/tails to make tea. Dry them in the sun and then store them in a ziplock bag or air tight container. They make great detox tea with plenty of health benefits.

    Pitted cherries on a bowl, then the cherry pitter and seeds in a another bowl and finally the cherry tails or stems in the 3rd bowl.
    Pitted Cherries
    A spoon of Cherry Spoon Sweet garnished with mint on a small plate

    Cherry Gliko (Spoon Sweet)

    Sonila
    This Albanian Cherry Gliko or Liko is a spoon sweet, elegant preserve that is used to welcome guests in your house.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 2 hours hrs
    Chilling time 2 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean
    Servings 20 servings
    Calories 145 kcal

    Equipment

    • Cherry Pitter
    • Medium mixing bowl
    • Medium pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lbs cherries
    • 3 cups sugar
    • 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
    • 0.5 tsp lemon zest (optional)
    • 1.5 cups water

    Instructions
     

    • Pit the cherries and remove the stems (you can save the stems and dry them for tea). Cherries have to be ripe but firm. Softer cherries can be used to make jam.
    • Mix cherries in a mixing bowl with 2 cups of sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for minimum 4-5 hrs. I usually let them chill overnight. Cherries will absorb the sugar.
    • Add sugared cherries and 1.5 cups water in a pot. Turn heat on and once water boils, lower heat to simmer or low. Add the last cup of sugar. Let cook on low heat for 1 hour.
    • Leave the preserve cool down for few hours.
    • Return the pot on the stovetop. Turn heat on and once the preserve starts cooking, low heat again to low. Let cook until there's very little syrup left, usually another hour or so. Add lemon juice and zest halway through.
    • Use proper canning techniques for bigger batches. This recipe produces about 16 ozs of gliko (1 jar).

    Notes

    • Calories are estimated assuming 1 serving is 1 tbsp. But believe me it’s hard to stop at just 1 tbsp. Fair warning:)

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Cherry Gliko (Spoon Sweet)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 145 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 1mg0%
    Potassium 101mg3%
    Carbohydrates 37g12%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 36g40%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 29IU1%
    Vitamin C 4mg5%
    Calcium 6mg1%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 29IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Albanian Gliko, Cherry Gliko, Cherry Liko, Cherry Spoon Sweet, Liko qershie, Qershi
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin the below image to Pinterest. Feel free to tag me in social media if you made the recipe or leave me a comment if you have questions. Thank you:)

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    Cherry spoon sweet shown in a jar, surrounded by fresh cherries. Image is prepared specifically for Pinterest because it is shown with a banner that has the title Cherry Gliko across.
    Cherry Spoon Sweet (Gliko)

    Jams & Preserves

    I have more jams and preserves recipes in my blog, you can check them out below:

    • Red Plum Jam (no pectin) – Small Batch
    • Quince Jam (no pectin) – Small Batch

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    • 12

    Filed Under: Albanian, Desserts, Mediterranean Food, Recipes Tagged With: Jam

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lorraine

      July 20, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      Wow, I love this. Love the name,love how it looks and love the shots. I’ve got to try this when cherries are in season again.

      Reply
      • admin

        July 20, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        Yayy, thank you so much my friend!!

        Reply
    2. Gaila Perez

      July 19, 2020 at 8:32 pm

      5 stars
      Sonila! I love cherries, this seems like a great of preserving this summer treasure. Thanks for sharing it!

      Reply
    3. Veronica

      July 19, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      5 stars
      I completely fall in love with cherry glico. I didn’t know about this wonderful recipe. Saving it on Pinterest to try it, now that cherries are on season.

      Reply
    4. María

      July 19, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe of cherry gliko looks delicious!!! Also, the photos are perfect, it looks very appetizing!

      Reply
    5. Pilar R

      July 19, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      5 stars
      Wow super tasty Sonila, I haven’t seen before any recipe with cherries as this, i love them!!!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        July 19, 2020 at 3:57 pm

        Thank you very much Pilar!!

        Reply
    6. Adriana

      July 19, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      This preparation looks delicious and to think that I am not so fond of cherries, but I wanted

      Reply
    7. Sofía

      July 19, 2020 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      Una maravilla de receta la del cherry gliko spoon sweet, no la conocía y ya estoy deseando hacerla, por cierto unas fotos preciosas con esas cerezas que están invitando a comerlas.

      Saludos

      Sofía
      Milideasmilproyectos.com

      Reply
    8. Enriqueta E Lemoine

      July 19, 2020 at 10:16 am

      5 stars
      I’m so very happy to start my Sunday learning something new and sweet. This is a beautiful post, Sonila. Love your Albanian stories, not to mention the pictures of your cherry gliko! I want to pin them all!

      Reply
    9. Estefania

      July 19, 2020 at 8:52 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for explaining all the differences between cherry jam and cherry gliko. It’s definitely beautiful that cherries preserve the shape and looks beautiful on a spoon. It’s a very nice tradition to receive guests with such a treat!

      Reply
      • admin

        July 19, 2020 at 8:56 am

        Thank you so much Estefania!!

        Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    More about me →

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