Name - Origin
Άλμη. Salted water used in cooking (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 1, entry αλάρμη,η, 338).
In ancient Greek the word is ἅλμη (álmi) or ἁλμαία (alméa) and in Italian salatura (Kypri 1979 [2002²], entry νεράλμη and αλάρμη,η, 329).
It is made with plain water, to which salt is added, until the liquid becomes so dense that if you drop a hen's egg into the liquid, the egg floats (Kypri 1989, entry αλάρμη,η, αλάλμη,η, 316).
Additional information and bibliography
Olives are added in brine in a jar to be preserved for a long time, as well as vegetables. In earlier times, alarmi was used to wash wounds and to stop wounded gums from bleeding (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 1, entry αλάρμη,η, 338).
Kypri Th. D. (ed.) (1979 [2002²]), Materials for the compilation of a historical dictionary of the Cypriot dialect, Part A, Glossary of George Loukas, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XLI, Nicosia.
Kypri Th. D. (ed.) (1989), Materials for the compilation of a historical dictionary of the Cypriot dialect, Part C, Glossary of Ioannis Erotokritos, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XIV, Nicosia.
Pavlides A. (ed.) (1984), Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 1, Filokypros, Nicosia.
Kyriaki Panteli, Argyro Xenophontos
Traditional Recipes
Black Olives
“…salt them and leave them in the basin. Stir them until the salt dissolves and they are ready” (Testimony of Panagiota Charalambous, Kyperounda).
Foods
Elies koumniastes - Black olives koumniastes
Elies koumniastes were prepared using ripe black olives. Cypriot women would wash the olives, they would put them in brine for 3-4 days and would store them in a koumna (clay container) with salt.
Foods
Elies tsakkistes - Tsakkistes olives
Green olives which, during their preparation, were crushed with a stone.
Foods
Elies xidates - Pickled olives
For the preparation of xidates olives, women used to cut the flesh of the olives with a blade and soak them in water for 6 days. Then they would drain them and put them in a container with brine for…
Traditional Recipes
Pickled Olives
“Close the container and leave them for 40 days, but stir them daily. After 40 days, if the olives have too much water, remove the excess. Add the olive oil and vinegar” (Eleni Filippou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Tsakkistes green olives
“Crack the olives. Place them in a container with water. Add the water, salt and lemon juice and mix. Put the olives in bottles and fill them with the marinade” (Georgia Neocleous, Kyperounda).