Λαόπιττες. Πηγή: Ζηνοβία Χαραλάμπους.
"We used to make laopittes when we had a surplus of pork fat and especially during Christmas when the whole family would gather." (Marina Kattou, Vouni Limassol)
Name - Recipe
A type of pancake cooked in pork fat.
1 kg of flour
3 glasses of water
1/3 cup oil (peanut oil)
1 tsp salt
Pork fat
Sugar or honey or epsima
In a basin, sift the flour. Add the oil in the middle and rub the flour with your fingertips until the oil is absorbed. Pour in the water and add a teaspoon of salt and knead. When it is well kneaded, form it into a ball, cover with nylon to dry out, let it proof for about 2 hours. Roll out the dough to round pastry sheets of 20-25cm. Fry them in plenty of pork fat on one side and then flip them over. When they are cooked, place them in a platter and sprinkle some sugar or drizzle honey on them while they are hot. In some villages they prefer to drizzle epsima on top of them." (Marina Kattou, 65 years old from Vouni Limassol)
Frying.
Store them in a covered platter or in a container with lid in a cool place (Marina Kattou, 65 years old from Vouni Limassol).
Functional and symbolic role
In Marathasa region, the lalagouthkia, along with ladopittes, xerotiana and others were prepared at the beginning or end of agricultural tasks, such as the gathering of olives, the pruning of vines and the harvest. (Kythraiotou 2013, 44).
Similarly, in the village of Kathikas, the lalangouthkia were made after the end of the harvest ('potherka') (Samaras 1992, 83-86).
"We used to make laopittes when we had a surplus of pork fat and especially during Christmas when the whole family would gather." (Marina Kattou, Vouni Limassol)
Additional information and bibliography
Extract from an interview with Mrs Marina Kattou:
"Question: Where did you learn the recipe from? Answer: From my mother.
Question: Did you make any changes-modifications to the recipe ? Answer: No, I did not change the recipe. I used to make them bigger about the size of a plate. In the old days we used to put the flour in a large basin and mix it because we had to make large quantities. Now we use a bowl for kneading. We didn't have gas. We used to put two big stones and wood between them and put the pan or the pot on top of them and cook them. Now most people also fry them using peanut oil.
Question: Is it a local recipe, where they make it? Answer: We make it in Vouni, but they make it in other villages in the mountains and in Rizokarpaso.
Question: How often do you now make laopittes? Answer: I always make them when I have leftover dough from making olives pies, pourekia and other savory stuff.
Question: How often did you make them before? Answer: Two to three times a month or so. This used to be our dessert as well as pishies, we didn't have the means to make a big variety of sweets and so we used to make them more often."(Marina Kattou, 65 years old from Vouni Limassol).
Oral testimony: Marina Kattou, 65 years old from Vouni Limassol. Recording Zenovia Charalambous, October 2010. Edited by: Stalo Lazarou
Zenovia Charalambous, Stalo Lazarou
Ανοίγουμε φύλλο και πλάθουμε τις πίττες. Πηγή: Ζηνοβία Χαραλάμπους,
Τηγανίζουμε τις πίττες σε χοιρινό λίπος. Πηγή: Ζηνοβία Χαραλάμπους.
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