Κυπριακό ψωμί κριθαρένιο. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
In villages, when preparing bread for the family, women would also prepare kafkalies so as to always have some kind of bread in the house.
Name - Recipe
Bread divided horizontally in two and dried in the oven.
1 barley bread
Cut the bread in half, horizontally. Place the two pieces on a baking tray. Bake in the oven in a very low temperature for about half an hour, or as long as necessary, to allow the bread to dry out. Wait for them to cool, then store them in cloth pouches or some other container. (Maroula Economidou, 85 years old, Pedoulas)
Functional and symbolic role
In villages, when preparing bread for the family, women would also prepare kafkalies so as to always have some kind of bread in the house.
When they had no bread, they would dip the kafkalies in water to soften them.
They also used them in soups.
Additional information and bibliography
Oral testimony: Maroula Economidou, 85 years old, Pedoulas. Recording: Stalo Lazarou, 2010.
Stalo Lazarou
Foods
Alevrin - flour
Flour has always been the basic raw material for the preparation of various doughs, most notably for bread.
Traditional Recipes
Barley Bread
If a family had no wheat, it would use barley grains to make flour, which was then used to make bread.
Traditional Recipes
Bread (wheat)
"... gradually incorporate all the flour, adding water when needed, and knead the dough well. Cover it for a while to rise.” (Sotira Kyriakou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Katsoures with epsima (grape syrup)
Slices of bread fried in olive oil and drizzled with epsima (grape syrup).
Traditional Recipes
Katsoures with fruit salad
Slices of bread fried in olive oil, sprinkled with sugar and in this variation they are accompanied by a fruit salad. Katsoures with sugar were a common delicacy during the period of the English rule…
Foods
Psoumin - bread
Women had to get up at dawn to prepare the boukkoman (breakfast), which was usually a lot of bread with some halloumi or olives with onions
Traditional Recipes
Sourdough Bread
The Holy Water from the feast of the Holy Cross (14 September) is used for the preparation of the sourdough starter. The initial starter is formed by combining this holy water and some flour… it is…
Traditional Recipes
Vaftó
A unique mezé of melted pork fat on freshly baked bread. Recipe from Marathasa valley.