«Αμπελοπούλιν» Πηγή: Φ. Γεωργιάδης
Blackcaps are a strictly protected species of wild birds in Cyprus; their killing/hunting and possession/consumption is prohibited.
Name - Origin
Συκαλίς.
It is a species of small edible bird, which appears at the end of August until the end of October on the southern coasts of Cyprus and feeds mainly on figs and some grapes (PetrouPoeitou 2013, entry Αμπελοπούλι, 24; Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αμπελοπούλλιν,το, 124).
It has an ash olive colour on the upper part of its body, while the lower part is white, Its size is about 5.5cm. The male has a black head (black cap) and the female has a red head (red cap) (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αμπελοπούλλιν, 124-126).
Scientific name: silvia atricapilla (Petrou-Poeitou 2013, entry Αμπελοπούλι, 24). The scientific name Sylvia atricapilla is due to the characteristic black in males and brown in females coating they have on top of their head (Nikolaou-Konnari 2010, 1).
K. G. Yangoullis notes for the ampelopoulin that it is a sycophagus species (Sylvia hortensis - beccafico < Italian beccare < Latin beccus + fico).
Metaphorically, ambelopoulin is the young and plump woman (Yangoullis 2009, entry αμπελοπούλιν,το, 52).
plural: ambelopoul(l)ia
The word was often pronounced as amperopoulin, especially in the Famagusta region (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αμπελοπούλλιν,το, 124; Nikolaou-Konnari 2010, 1).
In Famagusta district, the name amperopoula refers to all migratory birds passing through the area, not just Sylvia atricapilla, and when referring to them, they call them "birds", e.g. "I go to the birds" (they mean they go to set up traps or nets to capture some of the migratory birds as a whole (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αμπελοπούλλιν, 124-126).
Their common Cypriot name is due to the fact that they forage in vineyards, mainly insects, although they often feed on grapes, figs and other fruits or seeds (Nikolaou-Konnari 2010, 1).
Ampelopoulia are captured when they get stuck on xoverga (verka), i.e. on sticks coated with a glue-like mixture, or caught in nets. They are eaten boiled or pickled (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αμπελοπούλλιν, 124-126; Petrou-Poeitou 2013, entry Αμπελοπούλι, 24). In the past, they were also preserved in commandaria (Yangoullis 2009, entry αμπελοπούλιν,το, 52).
In Deryneia, a typical food of the area was the blackcaps. They would prepare the verka out of pieces of pomegranate wood coated with a mixture that consisted of the fruit of a plant mixed with honey and white shoe polish (Kyriaki Panteli, 2014).
Ampelopouli is considered one of the exquisite game birds, while some other birds, like mouyios, are considered of inferior quality (Oral testimony of Kyriakos Panteli, 71 years old, Sotira - Famagusta).
The most popular ways of preparing blackcaps: boiled in their fat or preserved in salt and vinegar. The preparation of boiled blackcaps required 10 minutes of boiling. Housewives would pierce them with a needle to check if they were ready. When blackcaps were preserved in vinegar or even wine, their thin bones would become soft and edible. Blackcaps would also be cooked, while the heads would be mixed with pilaf.(Xioutas 1978, 219-226; Nikolaou-Konnari 2010, 7; Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αμπελοπούλλιν,το, 124).
** find "pickled blcackcaps" recipe in Traditional Recipes.
Functional and symbolic role
Athanasios Sakellarios mentions that ampelopoulia are very fat and delicious (Sakellarios 1890, 260), and so does Pavlos Xioutas, who notes that the meat of ampelopoulia had a lot of fat, but it was a light meal. The flesh of the bird was soft and tender. The boiled ampelopoulia were served hot or cold with plenty of lemon juice and salt as a dinner dish, accompanied by a beverage. Usually, the individual portion consisted of 8-12 birds, while for women it was 4-6 birds. Gourmand Cypriots would eat all parts of the ampelopoulia, even the entrails, apart from the stomach. Pickled blackcaps was a dish offered to guests as a fine appetiser together with a drink, in the months from October onwards, when the blackcaps would migrate (Xioutas 1978, 219-226). They were sold by the dozen, usually in city markets for 7-10 piastres per dozen. They were mainly bought by well-off people and were considered a luxury delicacy (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αμπελοπούλλιν, 124). Middle-class families hoped to consume blackcaps at least once between August and October, despite them being very pricey. In every hunter's house, blackcaps were available and offered to guests or as an excellent meze as part of a rich meal (Xioutas 1978, 219-226).
Pickled ampelopoulia were offered as a fine appetiser to distinguished guests (Xioutas 1978, 219-226).
At the same time, ampelopoulia were even sold at festivals. Kir. Karamanos writes: 'The best that Cyprus has to offer this year is exhibited at the Pentecost festival and it is available to consumers. The producers carefully guard their various products throughout the year to present them at the Pentecost Festival, so that the best ones are given an award by a special committee. The fine fruits of Pitsilia and Morphou, other preparations of special Cypriot style, such as hiromeri, apokhtin, trahanas, halloumia, ampelopoulia and others, are exhibited there, and everyone has the chance to buy them and taste them' (Yangoullis 2008, 90-91).
Additional information and bibliography
Ampelopoulia pass through Cyprus twice a year. Their usual passage ways are through the villages of Paralimni, Agia Napa, Mazotos, Agios Theodoros (Larnaca), Skarinou, Maroni, the Karpasia peninsula, Myrtou, Livera and Polis Chrysochous. In mid-March they move from Central Africa to Europe (Scandinavia, Soviet Union) and in autumn (late August-early October) they take the opposite route. Ampelopoulia usually eat insects, while in autumn they "feed themselves on figs, grapes, grape berries, šinnos (pistacia lentiscus), terebinth, blackberries, fruit from strawberry trees, olives, etc." Spring birds are skinny (and so are prepared fried). The birds of autumn are fat (and are boiled or pickled) (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αμπελοπούλλιν, 124-126).
The migratory journey of the blackcaps along the length and breadth of the Mediterranean brings them to Cyprus, a long and tiring journey for their size, which they manage to accomplish by following the flock of larger birds (such as cranes). The xoverga (capturing method) has a long tradition in Cyprus - some archaeologists trace it back to an 8th century BC amphora depiction - and was certainly known to the Romans and the Byzantines (Nikolaou-Konnari 2010, 5).
In the 18th century, pickled blackcaps were sent to Venice and Turkey as gifts of great value (Archimandrite Kyprianos 1788 [1971²]; Petrou-Poeitou 2013, entry Αμπελοπούλι, 24). Sakellarios mentions that in the 16th century blackcaps were valued at nine ducats of Venice (Sakellarios 1855). It is noted that, after being boiled, they were placed in vessels with commadaria or vinegar and sent as gifts to various Mediterranean cities (Sakellarios 1890, 260).
Archimandrite Kyprianos (1788 [1971²]), Ιστορία Χρονολογική της Νήσου Κύπρου, Εκδόσεις Παλιγγενεσίας, Λευκωσία.
Yangoullis K.G. (2008), Κυπριακά ήθη και έθιμα του κύκλου της ανθρώπινης ζωής, του εορτολογίου και των μηνών με στοιχεία γεωργικής λαογραφίας (Cypriot customs and traditions of the human life cycle, of the calendar and of the months with elements of agricultural folklore), Βιβλιοθήκη Κυπρίων Λαϊκών Ποιητών αρ. 67 (Library of Cypriot Folk Poets no. 67), Theopress Ltd, Nicosia.
Yangoullis K. G. (2009), Thesaurus of the Cypriot dialect. Interpretative, Etymological, Phraseological and Nomenclatural Dictionary of the Medieval and Modern Cypriot Dialect, Theopress Publications, Nicosia.
Kypri Th. D. (ed.) (1983 [2003²]), Materials for the compilation of a historical dictionary of the Cypriot dialect, Part B, Glossary of Xenophon P. Pharmakides, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, IX, Nicosia.
Nikolaou-Konnari A. (2010), «Περι αμπελοπουλιών ή ένα κυπριακό παραδοσιακό έδεσμα στα ξόβεργα της ιστορίας», Politis Newspaper, 28/6/2010.
Xioutas P. (1978), Κυπριακή λαογραφία των ζώων, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XXXVIII, Nicosia.
Pavlides A. (ed.) (1985), Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, Filokypros, Nicosia.
Petrou-Poeitou E. (2013), Where do they come from. Words and stories from the world of taste, Epiphaniou Publications, Nicosia.
Sakellarios A.A. (1855) Τα Κυπριακά: Ήτοι πραγματεία περί Γεωγραφίας, Αρχαιολογίας, Στατιστικής, Ιστορίας, Μυθολογίας και Διαλέκτου της Κύπρου. Εις τρεις τόμους, τ. 1, Εκ της Τυπογραφίας Ιω. Αγγελόπουλου, Εν Αθήναις.
Sakellarios A.A. (1890) Τα Κυπριακά: Ήτοι Γεωγραφία, Ιστορία και Γλώσσα της Νήσου Κύπρου Από Των Αρχαιοτάτων Χρόνων Μέχρι Σήμερον, Τόμος Πρώτος: Γεωγραφία, Ιστορία, Δημόσιος Και Ιδιωτικός Βίος, Τύποις και Αναλώμασι Π. Δ. Σακελλαρίου, Εν Αθήναις.
Oral testimony: Kyriakos Panteli, 71 years old (d.o.b. 20/02/1943), Sotira - Famagusta.
Kyriaki Panteli, announcement entitled: «Δερύνεια: Αγροτροφική Ιστορία και Αγροτροφικές Ιστορίες στα Χρόνια της Αγγλοκρατίας» στο συνέδριο «Κυπρίων Γεύσεις: Η παραδοσιακή διατροφή της Κύπρου στις τοπικές παραλλαγές της» ("Deryneia: Agricultural History and Stories in the Years of British Rule" at the conference "Cypriots Tastes: The Traditional Diet of Cyprus and its Local Variations”) (November 2014).
Varvara Yangou, Dimitra Demetriou, Tonia Ioakim, Stalo Lazarou, Ivi Michael, Kyriaki Panteli / Petroula Hadjittofi, Argyro Xenophontos
Ampelopoul(l)in - blackcap
Ampelopoul(l)in - blackcap
Ampelopoul(l)in - blackcap
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