Kleftikon

Lamb kleftiko was probably a case of " tolerated theft " in Cypriot society. Indeed, manifestations of 'tolerated theft' have been documented in most societies and are considered to constitute a form of 'food sharing' in traditional societies of both foragers and farmers (Kaplan and Gurven 2000).

The shepherds used to make kleftiko meat while they were on the mountains. Specifically, they would dig a hole on the ground, light a fire using charcoal, then place the meat in it, which they would wrap in animal skin and cover it with charcoal. The meat was cooked slowly and was called kleftiko (Ionas 2001, 146).

The inhabitants of Kythrea used to prepare the 'ofto kleftiko' in a similar way. After slaughtering, cutting and salting the meat, they would place it on carob tree leaves and put it in a hole dug on the mountain of Pentadaktylos. They would light a wood fire in the hole and then cover the hole with earth and wood so that no one would know it existed. Sometimes the meat would be placed in the traditional oven in the morning and left until the afternoon to cook, especially when the animal was old. So, the meat would become so tender and separate from the bones. The meat was eaten plain, without bread, just with onion. They would wrap any leftover meat in a cloth and place it in a basket or zembyli and hang it on a carob tree to aerate it (Petasis 1992, 254).

In the village of Xylotymvou, ofto kleftiko was made with tough sheep or goat meat. It was customary to roast kleftiko in the summer months when the animals would eat dry greens. The villagers would cut up the meat and put it in a clay pot called ttavas with a bit of water and bay leaves. Potatoes were often added in the pot and then it would be cooked in the traditional oven. The meat would become very soft and tasty. Residents and passers-by would buy kleftiko to eat it along with a drink (Kyriakou 2004, 91).