FURNITURE AND INSTALLATIONS

 

For the Cypriot rural society, the maerkon (kitchen), namely the space reserved for the preparation of food, usually occupied a separate auxiliary room in the house. In the case of smaller monochoron (single-room) house, the kitchen frequently occupied one side of the available multifunctional space of the room.

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Within the spartanly furnished space of the kitchen two necessary installations were always present, namely the niskies (open hearths) for cooking and the stone vourna (sink) for washing both dishes and clothes. Shelves along the walls served as storage space for the various cooking pots and pans, while plates and other tableware were stored in wall niches or on wall-mounted piatothikes (plate racks). Another often appearing storage installation was the koutalitzii (crockery storage case), where spoons, forks and knives were stored. During mealtime the family would sit at the wooden table and the tonenes (floudi reed straw) chairs, while smaller or larger-sized armaroles (storage cupboards), as well as the tapatzia (bread storage device) hanging from the roof were used for the temporary storage of foodstuffs.

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Certain installations of the house were directly related to the cuisine and the production of characteristic products of the Cypriot diet, even if they were not strictly within the kitchen space. Such were the fournos (oven) for the weekly baking of bread and other pastry, the tiroskamni (cheese stool) for anari and halloumi (types of Cypriot cheese), and the lampikkos for the zivania (small-scale distillery) often found at households in the wine producing areas of the island. These semi-permanent or permanent installations secured the yearly provision of the household with certain basic dietary goods.