«Σησαμωτά κουλούρια, Κυπερούντα» Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου
These bread products were customary in all the villages of Cyprus. They were especially made at Christmas and Easter.
Name - Recipe
Σησαμωτά. Bread in various shapes and sizes, wrapped in sesame.
6.5 kg of flour
1 tbsp of cinnamon, cloves, aniseed, coarsely ground
1 tsp ground mastic
600g sugar
lukewarm water
sourdough
sesame seeds
In lukewarm water, dissolve the sourdough with the sugar. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and then proof it to soften. Use the dough to make the bread in various shapes, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Leave for 3-4 hours until they rise and bake in the oven (Athanasiadou 1985, 89).
Baking in the oven.
Functional and symbolic role
Sesamota were made at Easter and Christmas in all the villages of Cyprus (Prodromou 1982, 133; Athanasiadou 1985, 89).
In Alona [Alona = community of the Nicosia district] they were called 'gennopittes', because they were made at Christmas ( Hadjionas 1971, 120).
Additional information and bibliography
Athanasiadou A. (1985), "Dough recipes from occupied villages of Cyprus", Λαογραφική Κύπρος 15,35, 82-93.
Prodromou A. (1982), 'Wheat preparations', Λαογραφική Κύπρος 12,32, 133-134.
Hatzionas S. (1971), 'The food in Alona', Λαογραφική Κύπρος 1,3, 118-121.
Demetra Dimitriou, Argyro Xenophontos
Παραδοσιακά σησαμωτά για το Πάσχα, 2014. Πηγή: Αιμιλία Παπαπαύλου.
Παρασκευή σησαμωτών. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Ξεφούρνισμα σησαμωτών από παραδοσιακό φούρνο, Κυπερούντα. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Ξεφούρνισμα σησαμωτών από παραδοσιακό φούρνο, Κυπερούντα. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Σησαμωτά, κομμένα για σερβίρισμα. Κυπερούντα. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Ψωμία σησαμωτά. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Σησαμωτά ψωμιά. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Foods
Artos, Afranda
Artos was prepared on special occasions like Saints' Days, Christmas, Easter, weddings and memorial services as an offering to the church.
Foods
Avkoti - Easter bread
An Easter bread. After kneading kouloures (bread) and flaoúnes, women would use a piece of the same dough to form small cases in the shape of a salt cellar, in which they would place one or two eggs…
Traditional Recipes
Finikotá
A Christmas sweet, drizzled with syrup or sprinkled with sugar. In this recipe, the dates are pitted and stuffed with walnuts and then inserted whole in the dough.
Traditional Recipes
Flaoúna
Flaoúna is the most characteristic Easter delicacy prepared and/ or consumed in all households in Cyprus. Its foukós (filling) is prepared 4-5 hours earlier or on the night before. Foukós is…
Traditional Recipes
Flaoúnes avkotes
Flaoúna, a traditional Cypriot pie, is the most characteristic Easter delicacy prepared and/or consumed in all households in Cyprus. Its foukós (filling), traditionally prepared using sourdough,…
Traditional Recipes
Flaoúnes me anari
Flaoúna, a traditional Cypriot pie, is the most characteristic Easter delicacy prepared and/or consumed in all households in Cyprus. Its foukós (filling), is traditionally prepared using sourdough,…
Traditional Recipes
Flaoúnes tsantoules
Flaoúna, a traditional Cypriot pie, is the most characteristic Easter delicacy prepared and/or consumed in all households in Cyprus. "The little girls used to take these flaounes with them to church…
Foods
Galena
Easter buns. Galena were made in certain places, mainly in Paphos, and were made with sugar and milk.
Foods
Gennopittα
Christmas bread. Genopitta was round shaped, slightly larger than bread and decorated with small leaves, small crosses, etc.
Foods
Glistarka - pl. glistarkes
The characteristic of glistarkes is their round shape and the multiple intersections of dough strips. The way in which the strips are interlaced is often reminiscent of weaving of textiles or baskets…
Traditional Recipes
Glistarkes
The characteristic of glistarkes is their round shape and the multiple intersections of dough strips. The way in which the strips are interlaced is often reminiscent of weaving of textiles or baskets…
Traditional Recipes
Koukkourka, Avkotes, Koullourka millomena
Recipe for kneading koullouria (bread) and rusks, using animal or vegetable fat. The same dough was used to make avkotes, Easter bread or pastries of various shapes with a red egg in the middle.
Traditional Recipes
Koullourka korniotika
"... cut a piece of the dough, roll it over the sesame seeds which you have placed on a towel and give it an oblong shape. Create Easter dolls, bags (baskets), the sarakosti (Lent) figure and…
Foods
Koulourakia gamou
Very small buns made to be thrown to the bride and groom at the wedding ceremony during the 'dance of Isaiah'.
Traditional Recipes
Sisamopittes
The recipe comes from Marathasa. Sesamopites were one of the products sold by the people of Marathasa at festivals, along with porika, nuts, shoushoukko and pastellin.
Foods
Sisamota
Baked products with sesame: bread, koullouria, gennópites, lehouzoúthkia, koúmoulla and others.
Foods
Traditional Christmas baking
Traditional Christmas baking includes “hristópsomo”, “gennópita” and “koulloúri” in various shapes and with different names
Traditional Recipes
Traditional koullourka
After making the dough, the koulourka are given various shapes, such as oblong, rings, round but also avgotes, vatrahakia, zembilouthkia, stavrokoulloura etc for festive occasions.
Traditional Recipes
Tsoureki
In the past, tsoureki (a type of braided brioche) was offered to guests when visiting women who recently gave birth or when inviting guests to weddings or christenings. Today, the preparation and…
Foods
Zembilouthkia (sisamota)
Sesame pastries in the shape of a zembili (zembili=soft wicker basket).The zembilouthkia or syriouthkia (from the ancient spyris, zembili), are made symbolically, to bless the farmer's zebili, whilst…