«Αβκωτή» Πηγή: http://www.rizokarpason.com/sintages1.htm
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 (boiled and dyed red) standing upright.
Name - Origin
Koullouri bread in the shape of an egg case, with a red egg in the centre / Easter brioche with a red egg in the middle, koullouri bread with a baked egg in the middle to commemorate the dead (Yiangoullis 2009, entry αβκωτή,η, 32)
Xenophon P. Pharmakidis notes that this is an Easter treat for children (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αυκωτή,η, 295-6).
Kypri - Protopapa report that women would give the dough the shape of a case and place red eggs in it (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130).
In some villages, they were called afkotíres.
After kneading kouloures (bread) and flaounes, women would use a piece of the same dough to make small cases in the shape of a salt cellar, in which they would place one or two eggs (boiled and dyed red) standing upright. Avkotí would be baked in a wood-fired oven, but placed close to the opening, so that it could easily be taken out as it would bake very quickly (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry αυκωτή,η, 295-6). Avkoti dough consisted of flour, semolina, salt, oil or butter and sometimes anarí cheese, milk and spices. This dough was called 'millomeni' (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130). In the village of Agridaki they would make single, double or triple avkotí. In the village of Sikhari they would make avkotí in the shape of a girl and place an egg on it. In Akanthoú, they would make stavrokoúlloura (bread with a cross) on which they would place four or five eggs (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130).
Functional and symbolic role
Harvesters used to eat stavrokoúlloura with eggs (bread with a cross and eggs on top) in the fields, since the harvest period (usually in May) coincided with Easter time, especially with the week after Easter. A bread with a cross and five eggs on top was called ‘o Mas o pentofás' as the days were long and the workers needed to eat five times a day (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130).
Avkotí used to be prepared on Maundy Thursday or Maundy Saturday along with other Easter bread (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130).
Since ancient times, eggs would symbolise new life, since they enclose within them a seed of life, a new power that can be transmitted to humans. At the same time, the colour red is associated with life, since it is the colour of blood (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 129-130).
Additional information and bibliography
Kypri T. D. (ed.) (1983 [2003²]), Υλικά διά την σύνταξιν ιστορικού λεξικού της κυπριακής διαλέκτου, Μέρος Β΄, Γλωσσάριον Ξενοφώντος Π. Φαρμακίδου, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, IX, Nicosia.
Kypri T. - Protopapa K. A. (2003), Παραδοσιακά ζυμώματα της Κύπρου. Η χρήση και η σημασία τους στην εθιμική ζωή, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Stalo Lazarou, Demetra Demetriou / Petroula Hadjittofi, Argyro Xenophontos
Αυκωτή σε σχήμα στρογγυλής θήκης. Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Παρασκευή αυκωτής με δύο αυγά (σχήμα 8). Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Παρασκευή αυκωτής με δύο αυγά (σχήμα 8). Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Παρασκευή αυκωτής με δύο αυγά (σχήμα 8). Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Η τελειωμένη αυκωτή. Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Αυκωτές, πριν το ψήσιμο. Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Πασχαλινά ζυμώματα (αυκωτές, φλαούνιες, πασκιές, χαλλουμωτές), ενώ μεταφέρονται στο φούρνο. Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Πριν μπουν στο φούρνο, οι αυκωτές αλείφονται με αυγό και σησάμι. Λετύμπου, 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Οι αυκωτές και τα υπόλοιπα ζυμώματα, σχεδόν ψημένα και έτοιμα για ξεφούρνισμα. Λετύμπου 2016. Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Foods
Aggáthenon stefáni tou Hristoú - Crown of thorns
A type of bread shaped similar to the crown of thorns of Christ.
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
Avkòn - egg
An egg boiled for a short time (soft boiled) was called melàton or vouttetòn due to its runny yolk. On the other hand, an egg boiled for a long time (hard boiled), was called pektò or sfiktò. The…
Traditional Recipes
Avkoti - Avkotes
Cypriot Easter delicacy. "On the circumference of the pastry sheet, put two strips of dough. Place about a handful of the filling in the "case" and the egg in the middle of it... " (Kyriakos Zografou…
Traditional Recipes
Easter eggs dyed with onion tunics
The tunics of dried onions give the eggs a warm, yellowish to honey colour. Each household starts collecting the tunics a few months before Easter to ensure that when the time comes they have enough…
Traditional Recipes
Easter eggs dyed with yellow daisies
Yellow daisies, also known in Cyprus as "simillouthkia", when boiled together with eggs, transfer their bright yellow colour to the eggs. Yellow daisies are plentiful in Cyprus during spring time and…
Traditional Recipes
Easter pourkouri with goat meat
“… the pieces of meat on skewers, place the skewers on the clay pot to give the pourkouri some flavour of the meat, and cover them with foil.” (Theognosia Andreou and Vasiliki Michael, Kornos)
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…
Foods
Flaouna, gastronomical map
Flaouna is a pie with a square, triangular or round shape, the basic ingredients of which are ‘flaouna cheese’ and eggs. Flaounes are baked all over Cyprus during Easter.
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,…
Foods
Galena
Easter buns. Galena were made in certain places, mainly in Paphos, and were made with sugar and milk.
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
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
Magiritsa soup
Magiritsa is a traditional soup prepared at Easter in many parts of Greece. Since the 1960s it has become common in Cyprus as well.
Traditional Recipes
Paskies (pies with lamb or goat meat)
They are prepared and consumed during the Easter period, mainly in villages of the Paphos district.
Traditional Recipes
Roasted lamb and potatoes
A meat dish, which was particularly common for Sunday lunch or for Easter Sunday lunch.
Traditional Recipes
Sisamota
These bread products were customary in all the villages of Cyprus. They were especially made at Christmas and Easter.
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…
