Apohtin or apohti () is a traditional Cypriot

dried food Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since anci ...

made by salting

goat meat Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat (''Capra hircus''). The term 'goat meat' denotes meat of older animals, while meat from young goats is called 'kid meat'. In South Asian cuisine, goat meat is called mutton, along with sheep meat.''O ...

History

Apohtin's roots are traced during the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

as various texts refer to the preparation of meat;

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

etc., that was salted and then dried in the sun.

Preparation

In order to prepare apohtin, the animal is opened in the middle. Its head, intestines and tallow are removed. Then the meat is washed, salted and left in the sun for a period of three to four weeks in order to dry. This is done in a manner that protects the meat from threats that could harm its quality, such as

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s. After that period, the meat is sliced into small pieces, washed again and becomes available for any type of

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

. In Cyprus, apohtin is a common

meze ''Meze'' (also spelled ''mezze'' or ''mezé'') (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish cuisine, Spanish tapas and Italian cuisine, Italian Antipasto, antipasti. A ''me ...

that is served with alcoholic beverages (

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

zivania Zivania or zivana () is a Cypriot pomace brandy produced from the distillation of a mixture of grape pomace and local dry wines made from Xynisteri and Mavro grapes. The name of zivania is derived from zivana () which means pomace in the Gree ...

etc.). A food similar to apohtin is noted in

Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...

under the same name. That kind of apohti refers to a food based in

pork tenderloin Pork tenderloin, also called pork fillet, pork steak or Gentleman's Cut, is a long, thin cut of pork. As with all (mammalian) quadrupeds, the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle along the central spine portion, ventral to the lumbar v ...

that is salted and dried in the sun. Also, the preparation of

tsamarella Tsamarella (, ) is a traditional food and one of Cyprus' main lunch meats, common in both Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots, Turkish Cypriot communities. Preparation It consists usually of goat's meat; the whole animal without it ...

, another Cypriot dish, is similar to apohtin's preparation except from the fact that unlike apohtin, in tsamarella, the animal's bones are removed from the beginning.

References

{{Cuisine of Cyprus Lunch meat Cypriot cuisine Goat dishes

History

Preparation

See also

References