Απεικόνιση άρτου (ψωμιού) σε σύνθεση της Θείας Μετάληψης του 1494 από τον ναό του Τιμίου Σταυρού στο Αγιασμάτι.Χ. Αργυρού, 2009. Ο Ναός του Τιμίου Σταυρού στο Αγιασμάτι, σελ. 16. Λευκωσία: Πολιτιστικό Ίδρυμα Τραπέζης Κύπρου.
Bread during the Byzantine Empire
Name - Origin
Ψωμί, άρτος
Byzantine bread varied in quality, depending on the type of flour used and the method of milling the grain. There was bread made of wheat or barley (Motsias, 1998 p. 73)
Functional and symbolic role
Bread formed the basis of the Byzantine diet. In the poems of Ptohoprodromos (Koukoules 1952, pp.12-29) a distinction is made between ‘white’ and ‘brown’ bread. White bread was a luxury item and was intended for the wealthier class of citizens, while brown bread was a lower quality bread and is described as ‘bread of the poor’; there was an even lower quality bread than brown bread which was described as ‘hondróhylo’ (coarse bread). Although brown bread was nutritionally richer than white bread, the poet complains about his poverty:‘they have the semidalin (semolina) bread, we have the pityrounda (bran) bread’
Strict fasting was followed in monasteries, where the most common food was agiozoúmin (a broth of water, oil and thyme), in which bread crumbles were added to make the food more filling (Hesseling and Pernot ,1910 pp. 61-62)
Leavened bread, i.e. prósphoro, which is sealed on top with the letters ΙC ΧΡ ΝΙ ΚΑ, is used together with wine (anáma) during the Eucharist service in commemoration of the redemptive death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the Eucharist, bread and wine, by the action of the Holy Spirit, are transformed into the ‘body’ and ‘blood’ of the Lord (Phidas, 2002)
Additional information and bibliography
In Byzantine iconography, the depiction of spherical-shaped bread (often with a cross-shaped seal in the top centre) in scenes of the Last Supper, the Wedding at Cana or the Divine Communion is very common and mainly symbolic. However, in churches in Cyprus and elsewhere, we observe a notable increase in the number of spherical breads in scenes of the Last Supper (one in front of each attendant) dating to the Middle Byzantine period (9th-12th c); several scholars conclude that these were slices of bread which were used as plates (for placing small portions of food on them) and then eaten by dipping them in sauce (Vionis, 2001 pp. 87-88)
D.C. Hesseling & H. Pernot (1910) Poèmes prodromiques en grec vulgaire. Amsterdam: Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen 11.
F. Koukooules (1952) Βυζαντινών Βίος και Πολιτισμός. Τόμος Ε. Athens.
Χ. Motsias (1998) Τι έτρωγαν οι Βυζαντινοί. Αθήνα: Kaktos Publications.
Β. Phidas (2002) Εκκλησιαστική Ιστορία. Εκδόσεις Διήγηση, Athens.
A. Vionis (2001) “Post Roman Pottery Unearthed: Medieval Ceramics and Pottery Research in Greece”. Medieval Ceramics 25, σελ. 84-98.
Athanassios Vionis
Foods
Alevrin - flour
Flour has always been the basic raw material for the preparation of various doughs, most notably for bread.
Foods
Artos, Afranda
Artos was prepared on special occasions like Saints' Days, Christmas, Easter, weddings and memorial services as an offering to the church.
Traditional Recipes
Barley Bread
If a family had no wheat, it would use barley grains to make flour, which was then used to make bread.
Traditional Recipes
Bread (wheat)
"... gradually incorporate all the flour, adding water when needed, and knead the dough well. Cover it for a while to rise.” (Sotira Kyriakou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Katsoures
Slices of bread fried in olive oil and usually spread with sugar or honey, and cinnamon. They used to constitute one of the meals of the day, accompanied by olives and halloumi.
Traditional Recipes
Katsoures with epsima (grape syrup)
Slices of bread fried in olive oil and drizzled with epsima (grape syrup).
Traditional Recipes
Katsoures with fruit salad
Slices of bread fried in olive oil, sprinkled with sugar and in this variation they are accompanied by a fruit salad. Katsoures with sugar were a common delicacy during the period of the English rule…
Traditional Recipes
Prósforo
"Put the stamp on the prosforo and with a toothpick make a few holes around the stamp, not on it. Then using a knife, cut the dough in a round shape, 3 fingers away from the stamp." (Flourou Parpouna…
Foods
Psoumin - bread
Women had to get up at dawn to prepare the boukkoman (breakfast), which was usually a lot of bread with some halloumi or olives with onions
Traditional Recipes
Souppouthkia
Cubes of fried bread with carob syrup or epsima. This sweet dish was consumed daily in the old days, since it was tasty, affordable and very beneficial. The two variations of the recipe come from…
Traditional Recipes
Sourdough Bread
The Holy Water from the feast of the Holy Cross (14 September) is used for the preparation of the sourdough starter. The initial starter is formed by combining this holy water and some flour… it is…
Traditional Recipes
Vaftó
A unique mezé of melted pork fat on freshly baked bread. Recipe from Marathasa valley.
Foods
Wheat bread making process
Types of wheat bread: wheat bread, bread with semolina, afratítzia, bread with semolina flour, pomágnena, mágnena.