«Μυλλόπιττες σε τσέστον»
Pittas containing lard.
Name - Recipe
Πίτες με λαρδί.
Version A and B:
3 parts flour
1 part fine semolina
a bit of salt
warm water to make the dough very firm
lard
Version A:
The dough is made 2-3 hours in advance to allow sufficient time to proof and soften. Roll out a very thin sheet of dough, brush it all over with melted lard, fold it and brush it again. Repeat the same process 2-3 times. Next, roll up the sheet, twist the 2 edges to the right and left and cut into pittas. Re-roll each one into a round 1cm thick pitta. Fry them in plenty of lard over a low heat. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey (Athanasiadou 1985, 89).
Version B:
Knead a firm dough with local flour, semolina, a little salt and lukewarm water. Allow the dough to soften for 2-3 hours. Roll out a large and very thin sheet of dough about 80 to 100 cm in diameter. Brush the whole surface with lukewarm lard (to make the dough smooth). Then fold the sheet of dough and brush it again with lard. Repeat until a bun of about 5 cm in diameter is formed. Then twist the two edges in opposite directions 5-6 times. Cut into pieces of about 4cm each. Then roll each piece out to a pitta of about 15cm in diameter and less than 1cm thick. Fry the pittas in plenty of fat over low heat. Serve them while warm with a drizzle of honey (Rizokarpason recipes 2010).
Frying.
Millopittes in Rizokarpaso were cooked on a stone slab, while in Paphos they were baked on a satz̆in. In the village of Kato Drys they were fried in a clay pot (used for ttava). (Kypri and Protopapa 1997, 240-280).
Functional and symbolic role
According to Pavlos Xioutas, it is an excellent dessert for distinguished guests and friends (Xioutas 1978, 151).
Millopittes were mainly prepared in the region of Karpasia (Kypri and Protopapa 1997, 240-280).
In the village of Palaikythro in the Nicosia district, millopittes were offered to the harvesters as "potherka", i.e. a celebration that marked the end of the harvest season (Kyprianou 1992).
Additional information and bibliography
Athanasiadou A. (1985), "Pasta recipes from occupied villages of Cyprus", Λαογραφική Κύπρος (Cyprus Folklore) 15,35, 82-93.
Kypri Th. - Protopapa K. (1997), Παραδοσιακά Ζυμώματα της Κύπρου. Η χρήση και η σημασία τους στην εθιμική ζωή. (traditional breads of Cyprus), Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Xioutas P. (1978), Κυπριακή λαογραφία των ζώων (Cypriot animal folklore), Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XXXVIII, Nicosia.
Dimitra Demetriou / Stalo Lazarou, Argyro Xenophontos
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