Palouzes in the Cypriot dialect or Moustalevria in Greek,  from “moustos” = grape must, and “alevri” = flour, is a pudding made with these two basic ingredients - either fresh grape juice during autumn or with concentrated grape juice (petimezi or epsima, in Cypriot) when no fresh juice is available. The origin of the Cypriot name of 'palouzes' possibly derives from Middle Eastern recipes with the name “balouza” which is a kind of pudding made with fruit juice or milk and corn flour (starch).

The best time to make palouzes is from August to September or October, when the grapes are sweet.

Preparation

"When we turn some palouzes on a plate and see that it does not spread, it means that it is ready. We put it in deep plates or small trays and break a few pieces of almond or walnut on top for decoration." (Androulla Christou, Agrilia Limassol).
The palouzes was made as soon as each housewife finished her harvest. It used to be made only for private use. Today, palouzes is made both by individuals and by small and large industries dealing with grape products, mainly whenever the harvest takes place, that is from August to September or a little earlier or later (Spyroula Christodoulou, Potamiou, Limassol).

Recipe ingredients

Version A:
10 glasses of mustard, 5 tablespoons of sifted wheat flour, 5 tablespoons of farina flour, 5-6 basil leaves.
Version B:
10 kilos of mustard (purified grape juice), 1 kilo of wheat flour, pelargonium, basil and rosehip.
Version C:
10 kg of grape juice, 1.7 kg of flour, white soil, a little flower water, basil leaves, 1 vanilla sachet, 1 cup of almonds.
Version D:
2 buckets of mustard (8 litres), 1.5 kg of flour, pelargonium, Rosehip, Vanilla, Mastic optional, crushed almond and walnut pods.
Version E:
10 cups of must, 10 spoons of village flour, 1 sprig of pelargonium, Rosehip (optional), coarsely ground almonds or walnuts, 1 spoon of white soil.

Execute recipe

Version A:
Put 5 glasses of mustard in the pot to boil together with the basil. Dissolve the flour with the remaining 5. When the mustard boils, add the dissolved flour and stir until cooked. (Kyperounda, see Kourris and Lazarou 2007).
Version B:
Bring the juice to a boil and add the flour. Stir constantly so it doesn't stick. In the last minutes, add the aromatics. As soon as it thickens, take it off the heat and serve in containers. (YGFPP 2006, 53-54).
Version C:
Melt the grape. Take the grape juice from the press and put it in a cauldron to boil. Then we do the brushing process. So, we put white soil (soil with lime) and mix vigorously until it produces a lot of foam, to clean. As soon as it cools down, add a handful of flour to 'remove the blackness' and mix. Let it settle (sit). The next day we strain it and get the clear juice. From the juice we get about 10 kg. Put half the juice in the cauldron to boil and at the same time in another container beat the flour with the rest of the juice. Then add in the cauldron the juice to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it thickens and becomes heavy. Finally, add pelargonium or basil leaves along with a little flower water and a sachet of vanilla powder. Before putting the palouzes in the containers, put some flower water in them. Sprinkle with a few crushed almonds. (Spyroulas Christodoulou, Potamiou, Limassol).
Version D:
"I put 1 canteen of must in the cauldron. Then put it in the hearth with the wood. I put the rest of the must in a pot and dissolve in it one and a half kilos of village flour, wheat. When the must that I left in the cauldron boils, I spill it inside and keep stirring to avoid it sticking. Just before the palouzes is done, I add the vanilla, a little pelargonium and the rosehip. If I want, I also add mastic. In the old days, we didn't have vanilla. We used to put in a bunch of basil and a little pelargonium, we let it carry the scent for a few minutes and then we pulled it out. When we put some palouzes on a plate and see that it doesn't spread, it means it's ready. We put it in deep plates or in small trays and break a few pieces of the almond or walnut on top for decoration. Finally, when the cauldron is empty, we pour almonds into the cauldron and eat "the bottom" (an expression used in the villages, that is, they eat palouzes from inside the cauldron when their containers are full.) (Androulla Chr. isto, 58 years old from Agrilia, Limassol).
Version E:
Dissolve the flour well in three cups of must. Put the rest of the must with the pelargonium in a pot and boil it. When it boils, let it stew for another three minutes. Add the flour dissolved in the must and mix well with a wooden spoon. When big bubbles are formed, pour in the rosehip or pelargonium and take the palouzes off the heat. We pour it on a plate or small shallow containers and serve it sprinkled with almonds or walnuts. We eat it hot or cold. We keep it in the refrigerator. (Kythraiotou 2013, 58). 
We must not let the basil, flower water and vanilla powder boil with the mixture, because the palouzes will become bitter. That's why we add them at the end. To know that the palouzes is ready, put a spoonful of the mixture on a plate and let it cool. If when we blow on it, it comes off, then it is ready. Palouzes is stored in a cool and dry place (fridge) because it is easily affected by fungi. It only lasts a few days. (Spyroula Christodoulou, Potamiou, Limassol). When it is cut into pieces and dried in the sun, we have the so-called kkiofteria (YGFPP 2006, 53-54).