KITCHENWARE AND TOOLS
The Cypriot kitchenware and tools, which were intended for cooking on an open fire or in the oven, included wares made of metal (mainly copper/bronze) or clay. The chalkomata (copper/bronze vessels) offered an array of benefits as they were more durable, lighter and heated up quickly due to their excellent thermal conductivity. These were usually manufactured by local kazantzides (coppersmiths). Post-manufacture, the interior surface of the vessels was coated with tin in order to be safe for cooking, a process known as ganoma (tinning) that was periodically repeated by itinerant tinkers. The copper/bronze vessels and tools, which also formed part of the bride’s dowry, included the chartzin (cauldron), maerisses (pots) of various sizes, sinia (pans), tiania (saucepans), and koutales (ladles).
Clay vessels of similar use or even shape, such as the piniades, the kourellin, the ttavas (cooking pots) and the tianistra (saucepan), were produced in some of the well-known pottery production centres of the island. Glazed wares were produced at Lapithos, fine light-coloured clay wares were traditionally made at Famagusta, while cruder red clay pottery was produced at a group of villages at the southern slopes of the Troodos massif (Kaminaria, Agios Dimitrios and Foini).
A distinct category of wooden kitchenware comprised the vourna (bread trough or artesa), the thkiartosanido (kneading board), the goupposanido (a plank with depressions for placing breads) and the tipari (a round-shaped sealing tool). These items were used for making bread and other types of pastries, which formed an integral part of the Cypriot diet. Small weaved straw baskets, called talaria, were related to the production of cheese, while the various uses of sieves depended on their form. The latter were made of a piece of leather, a pierced metal sheet or a fabric mesh, adjusted to a wooden annular frame.
The Cypriot household’s array of grounding tools included the shieromilos (hand mill), various types of goudia (mortars), as well as more recently introduced grinders for spices and coffee. The tirotriftis was a metal tool used mainly for grinding cheese.
