Ingredients:

• 15 bergamot oranges
• 2 kilos of sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cups of water
• 2-3 leaves of sweet- Arbaroriza – Kiouli – Scented pelargonium (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon for the finish Spoon Sweets

Method:

• Wash the bergamot well, and dry with a towel.
• Grate the peel with a fine grater without reaching the white part of it.
• Slash the bergamot in 3 starting from the stem side to the bottom.
• Peel and remove the thick fibres from the inside of the peel.
• Roll up each piece and with a thick needle thread them close to each other and tie them to prevent them from unrolling during cooking.
• Do not put all the peel on one thread but separated them into 2-3 threads or more according to how many pieces you want to make.
• Place the threaded peels in a large enough pot and heat up with enough water to cover them for 2-3 minutes from the time of boiling.
• Remove from the heat and the next day, change the water, and repeat the same process of boiling.
• Remove from the heat and repeat the same process for a third day.
• On the fourth day, change the water again, boil for about 6-7 minutes, discard the hot water and replace it with clean cold water immediately and add the juice of 2 lemons.
• Place the pot over heat again and boil until they are soft.
• Remove from the heat and let it aside to cool down completely.
• Drain, remove the threads and squeeze each peel by hand to remove any excess liquid.
• Place in a clean pot, add the sugar, 3 cups of water and set aside for about 1/2 an hour (for the peels to release their liquids) and heat through for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and set aside until the next day.
• The following day, place the pot over heat again and boil until the syrup thickens and sets.
• Right before the syrup sets, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon, the leaves of sweet- Arbaroriza – Kiouli – Scented pelargonium (optional).
• Remove from the heat, cover the pot with a thin cloth to prevent from something falling in and let it cool down completely.
• Place in clean sterilized jars and refrigerate.