Κεϊμάς
As there were no special machines in butcher shops to produce minced meat, it was done by housewives using two large knives (Oral testimony of Anthoula Aristodimou, 72 years old, Kambos Tsakkistras).
Name - Origin
Κιμάς
ETYM. Turkish word (Pharmakidou, 2003 p160).
As there were no special machines in butcher shops to produce minced meat, it was done by housewives using two large knives (Oral testimony of Anthoula Aristodimou, 72 years old, Kambos Tsakkistras).
Functional and symbolic role
Pork mince is the most common minced meat used in Cypriot cuisine to date. Women would use minced meat to make loukanika (sausages), koupepia (stuffed vine leaves) and sheftalia (Xiouta P, 1978, p. 148, MANRE, 2006, pp. 26, 29).
Additional information and bibliography
Pharmakidou XP (1983). Γλωσσάριον Ξενοφώντος Π. Φαρμακίδου, [Υλικά διά την σύνταξιν Ιστορικού Λεξικού της Κυπριακής Διαλέκτου, μέρος Β', έκδ. Θεοφανώς Δ. Κυπρή], Centre for Scientific Research, Nicosia, 2nd ed., 2003.
Oral testimony: Eleni Georgiou, 85 years old, Kambos Tsakkistras Anthoula Aristodimou, 72 years old, Kambos Tsakkistras. Recording: Stalo Lazarou 2010.
Xiouta P (1978) Κυπριακή λαογραφία των ζώων. Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research XXXVIII, Nicosia.
Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (2006) Traditional spoon sweets and jams. Press and Information Office, Nicosia.
Stalo Lazarou, Dimitriou Demetra
Traditional Recipes
Beans with minced meat
A tasty dish that can be cooked either on the stove or in the oven. The minced meat and beans are cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
Foods
Gyros with sumac
Edible sumac, the seeds of which are used as a spice in many Mediterranean countries, is native in Cyprus.
Traditional Recipes
Keftedes - fried meat balls
Delicious meat balls made with minced meat and grated potatoes.
Traditional Recipes
Koupes
Koupes are fried, cylindrical-shaped preparations with a thin outer crust made of bulgur wheat and a filling of minced meat, onions, parsley and spices. Usually, koupes were sold in the courtyards of…
Traditional Recipes
Minced meat loaf in wine.
The minced meat mixture is shaped into a loaf, wrapped in a layer of lamb caul fat and baked in wine.
Traditional Recipes
Mousakas with potatoes
Cypriot version of moussaka, which was made in the past. It was a simple dish, since it was made only with potatoes and minced meat, without béchamel. It was usually served at weddings. Today, some…
Traditional Recipes
Pombári (or Poumbári)
The mixture for the pombari filling consists of rice, minced meat, parsley and onion.
Traditional Recipes
Stuffed vegetables - Gemistá
Many vegetables can be used for this dish: zucchini, bell peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, onions and eggplants are carefully emptied, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and rice, and baked in the…