Some Cypriots fast leading up to Christmas, and many more fast during Lent. So many Cypriots fast that in bakeries you will see fasting foods labeled with stickers saying “νηστεία” (“fasting”), so that people who are fasting know which breads, pastries, and sandwiches they can eat. Other “νηστεία” foods include the Christmas kourabiedes (shortbread), and melomakarona (honey cookies) I mentioned in my last journal, if those cookies are made with vegetable oil or special vegan butter instead of normal butter. But let’s focus on my beloved tahini pies for now! While tahini pies are eaten year round, they are especially popular during fasting periods because their rich sesame seed paste makes them a hearty, filling choice.
Given that sesame seeds are the natural ingredient at the ooey gooey heart of tahini pies, it surprised me to learn that sesame seeds are not grown much in Cyprus, though they are grown in neighboring Greece and elsewhere. Nevertheless, tahini sauce and whole sesame seeds are still very popular in Cypriot cooking and baking, just as they are in nearby Greek and Middle Eastern regions.
However, carob syrup, which is traditionally used to sweeten the tahini pies in place of sugar, is made from carob pods grown on trees right here on the island! Check out the photo at the right to see what carob pods look like. Once they ripen, they turn a chocolatey brown.
Mastiha (or "mastic" in English), one of those hard-to-find ingredients I indirectly referred to when describing how tahini pies are prepared, also comes from a tree that grows on Cyprus and throughout the Mediterranean.
