«Κούμουλλα ή Λεχουζούδκια» Πηγή: Κυπρή και Πρωτοπαπά 2007, 274
Rusks cut in cubes and offered as a treat to guests by expecting mothers and also at weddings and at Christmas.
Name - Origin
These rusks used to be baked and offered as a treat during Christmas and for the delivery of a new baby (Kypri 1989, entry κούμουλλα,τα, 30; Yangoullis 2009, entry κουμουλ(λ)ιά,η - κούμουλλα,τα, 227).
Georgios Loukas, in his Glossary, notes that it is a type of sweet/pie offered at christenings and after childbirth by a new mother (Kypri 1979 [2002²], entry κούμουλ(λ)α,τα, 243). The round wedding buns are also called koumoulla (Kypri 1979 [2002²], entry κούμουλ(λ)α,τα, 243); these were tied together with the use of a thread (Petrou-Poeitou 2013, entry Κούμουλα, 68).
Xenophon P. Pharmakidis in his Glossary specifies that koumoulla were treats offered after childbirth to women who were present (Kypri 1983 [2003²], entry κούμουλλα,τα, 167).
ETYM. latin cumulus = pile (Kypri 1979 [2002²], entry κούμουλ(λ)α,τα, 243; Petrou-Poeitou 2013, entry Κούμουλα, 68), for the abundance of bread or its twisted shape (Kypri 1979 [2002²], entry κούμουλ(λ)α,τα, 243).
According to Ioannis Erotokritos, the word may be derived from cumulare, which means to accumulate/pile up, since these rusks are next to each other and constitute a pile, called koumouliá (Kypri 1989, entry κούμουλλα,τα, 30).
Various names were given to koumoulla, such as lehouzoúthkia, louhoussoúthkia, lyhouzoúthkia, lyfouzoúthkia,, lyhouzémata, koullourópoulla, poximádia or poximáthkia of the new mother, since they were commonly offered as a treat after childbirth (Kypri - Protopapa 2003,166).
These type of rusks have various names based on the area of their production. They can be found as koumoúlia, koulourópoulla, dahtyliés or dáhtyla, koúkkoura, kouráthkia. At Christmas, koumoulla used to be baked for Virgin Mary who was a new mother and were called koúmoulla tou Hristoú (for Christ) or koúmoulla tis Panagías (for Virgin Mary) or lehouziés tis Panagías.
In Thrace, they are called bouganíkia or kákana (source: polygrafos.gr/έθιμα-βάπτισης-και-παραδόσεις).
Women would shape the koumoulla dough into rectangular pieces, cut them into small pieces, bake them in the oven and then cut and thread them (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 88).
Women would shape the koumoulla dough into rectangular pieces, cut them into small pieces, bake them in the oven and then cut and thread them (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 88).
Koumoulla differed from common rusks in their shape and size. A housewife would use the sisamotá dough to form a thick string of dough, sprinkled with sesame seeds and cut into pieces which she would then join together again. Koumoulla would also be sprinkled with nigella seeds or aniseed according to the tradition of the area they were made in. In some villages, it was believed that if sesame seeds were added, the newborn child would get lice. They would sometimes add sugar and spices to the dough. The dough was cut into small and even pieces, as they believed that this would contribute to the baby becoming beautiful and blemish-free. They would bake the rusks in the oven and when done, they would cut them by hand as per the score marks, sprinkle them with water and put them back in the oven to turn them into rusks. In some villages, once baked, the rusks would be threaded using thread called klotarká, klatarká, galatarká, galáta and, in other places, they would be threaded using a reed before placing them back in the oven for the second time to turn them into rusks. The threading process was used to facilitate the transportation of the rusks (Protopapa 2009, 33-34, 90, 181, 208, 292-302, 316, 331, 333).
Functional and symbolic role
"Koumoulla" were cubic rusks that every prospective mother would prepare and thread together (usually four or sometimes more according to their size) and offer to those who would visit her to congratulate her on her newborn baby (Leontiou 1983, 176).
It is reported that, in Varosi, lyhouzoúthkia were prepared for the new mother. They were offered to those who would visit her to congratulate her on the newborn baby (Michaelides 1970, 116).
In Flassou village, koumoulla were offered to the guests together with wine after the wedding ceremony (source: www.flassou.org/en.html).
Pregnant women, before giving birth, would prepare koullouria which were called koumoulla and would offer them to guests before and after childbirth (Hatzionas 1971, 120). The rusks were then threaded using a red thread or placed on a plate and covered with a red cloth. In Alona village, they were offered to the baby's godfather/godmother to notify him/her that he/she should start preparing for the baby's christening (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 166). They were also offered to the midwife and the priest as a gift (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 171).
In the villages of Paphos district, young couples would offer poxamatouthkia instead of glystarkes (s. glystarka) and a bit of wine to their relatives and friends to invite them to their wedding (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 184).
In some villages of Cyprus, a person would offer koumoulla as a treat on his/her nameday (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 81).
In many villages, at Christmas, women would prepare koumoulla or lehouzouthkia tis Panagias (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 88).
On Holy Saturday, people would take koumoulla with them to the church and after the end of the Divine Mass they would distribute them to other people present together with wine (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 132).
A pregnant woman would make koumoulla 8-15 days before giving birth. She would store them in large bags or in a basket. These rusks would be offered, either on their own or together with halloumi, to all the women present on the delivery day. In earlier times, they were served with wine so that they could be dipped in it. In some other areas, they would be hung on the mother's bed so that the relatives could eat them immediately after delivery. Koumoulla were also offered as a gift to the priest after blessing the new mother and to the midwife. Koumoulla were offered after the delivery of each child. It was sometimes a treat at christenings as well. Moreover, koumoulla would often replace bread during the stavroma* (Protopapa 2009, 33-34, 90, 181, 208, 292-302, 316, 331, 333).
*see symbolic uses.
During the starvoma, ie. the formation of crosses inside the house of the new mother to protect her from evil, often, koumoulla would replace bread. They believed that evil would leave the house and enter the bread (or koumoulla); once stavroma was completed, koumoulla would be placed in a basket and left outside the front door so that passers by would take them and, thus, take the evil away (Protopapa 2009, 33-34, 90, 181, 208, 292-302, 316, 331, 333).
The thread used to thread koumoulla had to be red, and so should the piece of cloth be, since red colour was a symbol of new life (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 166).
Additional information and bibliography
Usually, an odd number of koumoulla were threaded as a strand. The two strands with the most koumoulla would be given to the priest and the midwife. In some villages, the number of koumoulla was relative to the gender of the baby. They would offer 5 or 7 koumoulla for a son, and 4 or 6 for a daughter. In other places, they would strictly offer an odd number of koumoulla, ie.5 for a daughter and 7 for a son (Protopapa 2009, 33-34, 90, 181, 181, 208, 292-302, 316, 331, 333).
Yangoullis K. G. (2009), Θησαυρός Κυπριακής Διαλέκτου. Ερμηνευτικό, Ετυμολογικό, Φρασεολογικό και Ονοματολογικό Λεξικό της Μεσαιωνικής και Νεότερης Κυπριακής Διαλέκτου, Βιβλιοθήκη Κυπρίων Λαϊκών Ποιητών, 70, Theopress Publications, Nicosia.
Leontiou N. (ed.) (1983), Άσσια. Ζωντανές μνήμες, βαθιές ρίζες, μηνύματα επιστροφής, Πολιτιστικός Σύνδεσμος «Η Άσσια», Nicosia.
Kypri Th. D. (ed.) (1979 [2002²]), Υλικά διά την σύνταξιν ιστορικού λεξικού της κυπριακής διαλέκτου, Μέρος Α΄, Γλωσσάριον Γεωργίου Λουκά, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XLI, Nicosia.
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.
Kypri Th. D. (ed.) (1989), Υλικά διά την σύνταξιν ιστορικού λεξικού της κυπριακής διαλέκτου, Μέρος Γ΄, Γλωσσάριον Ιωάννου Ερωτοκρίτου, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XIV, Nicosia.
Kypri Th. - Protopapa K. A. (2003), Παραδοσιακά ζυμώματα της Κύπρου. Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Kypri Th. and Protopapa K. (2007), 'Κυπριακά παραδοσιακά ζυμώματα', στο Φούρνοι και παραδοσιακά ζυμώματα στη Θράκη, το Αιγαίο και την Κύπρο(Thrace-Aegean-Cyprus Programme), Thira, 261-278.
Michaelides Α. Μ. (1970), Το παλιό Βαρώσι : εικόνες μιας εποχής, Stavrou P. (ed.) Nicosia.
Petrou-Poeitou E. (2013), Από πού κρατάει η σκούφια τους. Λέξεις και ιστορίες από τον κόσμο της γεύσης, Epiphaniou Publications, Nicosia.
Protopapa K. (2009), Birth customs in the traditional society of Cyprus, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XLIX, Nicosia.
Hatzionas S. (1971) «Το φαγητό στην Άλωνα», Λαογραφική Κύπρος 1,3, 118-121.
Web sources: https://www.polygrafos.gr/έθιμα-βάπτισης-καιπαραδόσεις/ & http://www.flassou.org/en.html
Eleni Christou, Demetra Demetriou, Demetra Zannetou, Stalo Lazarou, Argyro Xenophontos, Tonia Ioakim
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.