A variety of figs.
Name - Origin
According to the Great Encyclopaedia of Cyprus, they are "large figs, with a white outer skin, but the fruit is red inside, with a sweet and sour taste". They are produced from the antelounitži fig tree (Great Encyclopaedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αντελούνικα and entry αντελούνιτζ΄η,η, 212). The same is noted by Xenophon P. Pharmakidis in the entry antelounitz̆i (plural: antelounitz̆es) of his Glossary: It is a species of fig tree, the figs are called antelounika. The antelounika are large, white on the outside and red on the inside, with a sweet and sour taste (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αντελούνιτζ̆ η,η, 127).
According to Konstantinos C. Yangoullis, it is a variety of small black figs produced mainly in Tillyria (Yangoullis 2009, entry αμπελούνικον - αντελούνικον,το, 52).
The antelounitz̆i fig tree is also called antoulounitz̆i and the figs it produces are called antoulounika (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αντελούνιτζ̆ η,η, 127).
Additional information and bibliography
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.
Pavlides A. (ed.) (1985), Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, Filokypros, Nicosia.
Kyriaki Panteli, Argyro Xenophontos
Traditional Recipes
Marmelada syko - fig jam
"Wash and peel the figs and put them in a deep pot with the sugar. Press with the palm to form a mass. " (Sotira Kyriakou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Fig
Primarily, unripe figs are used for the preparation of this sweet, which in Cypriot they are called koutsaka. Thus, the spoon sweet is also called fig-koutsako.
