A citrus fruit.
Name - Origin
It is a type of fruit, citrus fruit (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry κουμανταντᾶς,ο, 166).
ETYM. < French commandateur or Italian commandatore, hence in French the fruit is called poire du commandeur and in Italian pero del commandatore (Gennadios 1914, 341).
Scientific name: Citrus decumana (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry κουμανταντᾶς,ο, 166), the fruit of the tree Citrus lumia pyriformis (Gennadios 1914, 341)
pl. koumantantades (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry κουμανταντᾶς,ο, 166).
Functional and symbolic role
Their thick skin is used to make spoon sweets (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry κουμανταντᾶς,ο, 166).
Additional information and bibliography
This tree is found and cultivated in Cyprus at least since 1788, since it is mentioned in the work of Archimandrite Kyprianos «Ιστορία χρονολογική της νήσου Κύπρου» (Chronological History of the Island of Cyprus). In western Europe it appeared later, since in France it was first described in 1818, while in Italy it was still unknown during that time (Gennadios 1914, 341).
Gennadios P. G. (1914), Λεξικόν φυτολογικόν: Περιλαμβάνον τα ονόματα, την ιθαγένειαν και τον βίον υπερδεκασχιλίων φυτών, εν οις και τα λόγω χρησιμότητος ή κόσμου καλλιεργούμενα, των οποίων περιγράφονται και η ιστορία, η καλλιέργεια, τα προϊόντα και αι νόσοι, Paraskevas Leonis Printing House, Athens.
Kypri Th. 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.
Stalo Lazarou, Savvas Polyviou, Argyro Xenophontos
