Φρέσκα, πράσινα καρύδια. © Στάλω Λαζάρου, 2011
Walnuts.
Name - Origin
Καρύδια.
Scientific name: Juglans regia L.
Ground walnut was one of the ingredients of many traditional sweets.
Functional and symbolic role
Housewives used the unripe green walnuts to prepare a traditional spoon sweet, glykó karydáki. It was an ideal treat for guests together with coffee (MANRE, 2009) See the traditional recipes for spoon sweets including glyko karydáki in the recipes section.
At the wedding table walnuts were offered together with almonds together with a drink (Hadjikyriakou, 2007).
Additional information and bibliography
E. Pesaro (1563) wrote about walnuts "in Cyprus six walnuts cost one quatrain". Lusignan (1537- 1590) mentions that walnuts are produced in the mountainous parts of the island (Hadjikyriakos, 2007).
An important part of the life of both children and adults, especially girls, has long been the hóliasma, i.e. dyeing around the eyes with soot. Holiasma was used as a prophylactic and therapeutic means but also as a cosmetic. A special way to obtain hólan was to burn walnuts, either whole or just the kernels (Protopapa K, 2009, p. 356, 361).
Archimandrite Kyprianos (1788) Ιστορία Χρονολογική της Νήσου Κύπρου, Paligenesia Publications, Nicosia, p. 363-9, reprint 1971.
Hadjikyriakou G.N. (2007) Αρωματικά και αρτυματικά φυτά στην Κύπρο. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation , Nicosia.
Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (2006) Traditional spoon sweets and jams. Press and Information Office, Nicosia.
Protopapa K. (2009) ’Εθιμα της γέννησης στην παραδοσιακή κοινωνία της Κύπρου, Cyprus Scientific Research Centre, Nicosia, p.356, 361.
Demetra Demetriou, Demetra Zannetou, Stalo Lazarou
Traditional Recipes
Eliada
This dish is served with fish. It used to be prepared in Pitsilia area on Palm Sunday.
Traditional Recipes
Melokrema - Cream with honey
A simple dessert with pure ingredients of the Cypriot cuisine. The recipe comes from Pyrga in Larnaca and was made in the 1950s. At that time, due to poverty, many people could not have many…
Traditional Recipes
Spoon sweets - Walnut
"... prepare the syrup and add the walnuts to boil. Repeat for the next three days until the syrup thickens" (Kyperounda, Kourri and Lazarou 2007).