Traditional pittes (pies) made from bread dough (and similar in size to bread - round or long) contained one or more additional ingredients of olives, greens, halloumi, meat derivatives and animal fat.
Name - Origin
Traditional pitted (pies) made from bread dough (and similar in size to bread) that contain one or more additional ingredients such as olives, greens, halloumi, meat derivatives and animal fat
In the old times, they were baked in the traditional wood fired oven, placed either on the oven plate or on fig leaves (Kypri, Protopapa, 2003).
Functional and symbolic role
Dkiartistes pittes containing olives were called eliopittes (see entry eliopittes in Traditional recipes and Food sections) or eliotés or eliénes or eliopoúles. Eliopittes were often made in the villages of Karavas, Lapithos, Rizokarpaso, Lefka and the villages of Paphos district, and they contained olives, spearmint, onion (or fresh coriander or fennel) and olive oil. Pittes containing greens were called hortópittes or pittes chorterés and they contained olives and wild greens and/or spinach, fennel, fresh coriander, onions and others. Those made with spinach were known as spanakópittes (spinach pies), those with butternut squash were called kolokópittes etc. Both eliopittes and hortopittes were prepared without oil during fasting periods (Kypri, Protopapa, 2003).
Pittes containing halloumi pieces were called halloumópittes or halloumotés or haloumopoúles and they also contained onion and spearmint. Sometimes they were made with sourdough starter and sometimes without it (in which case they were called lytratžénes).
People used to make also kafourópittes or voutyrópittes. Kafouropittes were made by adding kafoúrka into the dough; kafourka were the remains of milk cream (tsíppa) after boiling milk. Kafourka would be kneaded with sourdough, adding raisins, cinnamon, aniseed and nigella seeds and baked in the oven. Tsippopittes were pies containing tsippa i.e. milk cream (Kypri, Protopapa, 2003).
Titsirópittes contained titsiríes and cinnamon and were baked in the oven. Titsiries were pieces of fried pork fat. These pittes were also called titsiriópittes, shirópittes, titsiropoúlles, or tsiringopoúlles. In Paphos, pig's entrails would be added to tsiringopoulles (Kypri, Protopapa, 2003).
Pourkourópittes were pittes made with thin bulgur wheat and pork fat from cured meat, and were baked in the oven. In the village of Assia, they used to make small pittes of round or long shape containing raisins and sesame seeds. In the village of Pera Pedi, pittes contained epsima (grape syrup) and were called epsimopoúles (Kypri, Protopapa, 2003).
Additional information and bibliography
Kypri Th. - Protopapa K. A. (2003), Παραδοσιακά ζυμώματα της Κύπρου. Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Demetra Demetriou
Traditional Recipes
Eliopitta - pl. Eliopittes - olive pie(s)
Often, eliopitta has the shape of a small round bun and contains whole olives. In other cases, it may be kneaded with pieces of olives, onion and fresh coriander/spearmint, or it may be a rolled pie…
Traditional Recipes
English-style pie with aphelia filling
An English pie with Cypriot aphelia filling served with mashed potatoes
Traditional Recipes
Fillota with syrup
Fillotá are envelope-shaped pastry sheets which have been brushed with oil and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. The recipe comes from Agios Georgios of Kyrenia.
Traditional Recipes
Flaounopitta
Flaoúna, a traditional Cypriot pie, is the most characteristic Easter delicacy prepared and/or consumed in all households in Cyprus. This recipe, which was developed in more recent times, is…
Traditional Recipes
Gennopitta
Traditional, large Christmas bread. Gennopitta was usually decorated with raisins or various "plumia" (designs, patterns). The most characteristic 'plumí' was the cross, which was made with dough…
Traditional Recipes
Hortopittes - Bread with greens and olives
Traditional individual bread buns, similar to eliopittes (olive bread) with the addition of greens and onions in the dough.
Traditional Recipes
Kattimeri
A pitta with cinnamon, sugar and honey, cooked on a metal nonstick surface with little or no oil.
Traditional Recipes
Kattimeri roll
A syrupy dessert. The dough is brushed with oi, spread with a mixture of cinnamon, almonds and sugar and then rolledl, twisted and placed in the baking pan in a circle, to form the characteristic…
Traditional Recipes
Laopittes
"We used to make laopittes when we had a surplus of pork fat and especially during Christmas when the whole family would gather." (Marina Kattou, Vouni Limassol)
Traditional Recipes
Litratžénes with vaklin (lamb tail fat)
Pittes (flatbreads) with vaklin (lamb tail fat).
Traditional Recipes
Pannihída
“…place it in a paneri (basket) which contains sesame and aniseed until it is coated all over. Place it back on the board and give it its final round shape. Finally, use a knife to score the…
Traditional Recipes
Pishíes
The pastry sheet is sprinkled with cinnamon and coarsely ground almonds and rolled into a long roll. Small pieces of the roll are then flattened to form the round pishíes.
Foods
Pishies
Pishíes were a customary preparation of dough that were prepared on many occasions and served with sugar, honey or carob syrup.
Traditional Recipes
Pishíes from RIzokarpaso
These pishíes are rolled out to the size of a plate, fried and sprinkled with sugar or honey. They are folded 2-3 times or rolled.
Traditional Recipes
Pishíes from Vouni village - Limassol
In the old days, when there was a wedding, the bride's mother and maid of honour would make pishíes to treat the guests who would come to congratulate the couple.
Traditional Recipes
Pitta (satži) served with cream and spoon sweets
A contemporary recipe with pitta cooked on a non-stick pan (in place of the traditional satži) combined with cream and spoon sweets.
Traditional Recipes
Pittes riziastes
The rice filling also contains fried onion, fennel and sugar. These large pittas are served hot, with a drizzle of honey on top.
Traditional Recipes
Pittes with sorrel leaves - Xiniatópittes
Wild greens are added to a bread dough to form small round flatbreads (pittes).
Traditional Recipes
Shamishi - Šámiši
It was customary during the various festivals to prepare s̆amiši in the churchyard, a custom that continues to this day. Šamis̆i were also offered at weddings.
Traditional Recipes
Tashinopitta - Tahinopitta
Very tasty, sweet pitta with tahini that contains no oil, and therefore prepared and consumed during periods of strict fasting.
Traditional Recipes
Tremithopittes - Pittas with terebinth seeds
These thin pittas are crispy like rusks. In addition to tremithia (terebinth seeds), they may also contain raisins.
Traditional Recipes
Tripites
In the old days, they would use sourdough in this recipe and would cook the tripites in gastra, a thin stone which they would place on wood fire. The recipe comes from Kathikas in the district of…
Traditional Recipes
Tsippopitta
In the past, tsippopitta, a fragrant sweet pitta with milk skin, used to be prepared and consumed during the carnival period, the cheesefare week before Lent.