Cyprus boasts a rich variety of handmade pasta with centuries-old craftsmanship. Traditionally, its preparation was an exclusively female domain with women gathering in sun-drenched courtyards to knead and shape the dough by hand. These gatherings were not only about work, but also an opportunity to share stories and exchange news, turning a laborious task into a social event.

Cyprus pasta tradition is celebrated every August at the Pasta Flavors Festival in Agios Theodoros village, where pasta lovers can taste authentic local pasta dishes.

Discover below some of the island’s main traditional pasta varieties:

Fides

This is a handmade pasta, similar to vermicelli. The flour is kneaded into a dough and then cut into thin, elongated strands. Each strand is coated with olive oil so it can glide easily through the hands. The shape of fides is formed by placing the dough on the outer part of the left hand, while the right hand pulls and stretches the edge until it reaches the desired thinness. With great care, fides is placed in baskets to dry in the sun before being stored in clay jars or cloth bags.

The time of year when fides was made varies from village to village. In the Mesaoria plain, it was traditionally prepared before summer, so it could be used to make pilaf for workers during the wheat harvest. In the Pafos district, fides was made in winter and added to soups. In some other villages, it was prepared shortly before childbirth and cooked into a soup for women who had just given birth.

More commonly, fides is cooked as a pilaf, while during the winter months it is also enjoyed as a hearty soup with the addition of rice.

Kaloirka

This is a type of pasta filled with minced meat, onion and parsley, often described as the Cypriot version of tortellini. Its name literally means “little monks” because their shape is said to resemble a monk’s hood.

Before filling the dough, the onion, minced meat and parsley are sautéed. Traditionally, kaloirka are boiled in chicken broth and served with lots of grated halloumi and dried mint.

Toumatsia

These are small square pieces of handmade pasta, similar to lasagna sheets. In Marathasa valley, they are known as azanvythkia. A thin sheet of pasta dough is rolled out and wrapped around a rolling pin. While still wrapped, it is sliced lengthwise into narrow strips. These strips are then laid on the kneading bench and cut into vertical strips to form small squares, approximately 2 X 2 cm in size.

The Toumatsia are boiled and traditionally served with grated halloumi cheese. During Lent, they are sautéed with fried pieces of bread, onion or garlic. In periods of stricter fasting, when oil was not permitted, honey was added instead.

Makaronia tou sklinitziou

It is a handmade pasta distinguished by a small horizontal hole running through its centre and with ends that are thinner than the middle part. This hollow shape is created using the sklinitzi (Juncus heldreichianus), a hard, reed-like rush.

Small pieces of dough, weighing approximately 1-2 grams, are placed onto the sklinitzi. Through finger pressure and back-and-forth movements of the palm, the dough is stretched into an elongated shape, forming a long, hollow tube. Subsequently, the pasta is removed from the sklinitzi and placed carefully in baskets, ensuring that each piece does not touch the others. The Makaronia tou sklinitziou are then left to dry naturally in a shaded, well-ventilated area, a process that may last from two to six days, depending on the season.

Makaronia tou sklinitziou is a product of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

Trin

These are thin strips of handmade pasta, similar to tagliatelle. It was consumed in various ways, depending on whether it was a fasting period or not. Traditionally, trin was served with grated halloumi or anari cheese, while during Lent it was combined with sautéed onions or fried pieces of bread added to the boiled trin.

It could also be simmered in milk with sugar to create a comforting dish known as galotrin.

Trin was a staple meal in Cyprus, commonly eaten by children for breakfast before heading to school, and by harvesters as an evening meal after a hard day in the fields.

Makaronia roanata or koullourota

These traditional pasta strands are closely resembling modern-day spaghetti. Their name is inspired by the “Rodani yarn”, which is the thin, long and flexible yarn that is wound around the Rodani (or tsakriki), the tool used for winding the thread of the spinning wheel.

A simple dough of flour, water and a touch of oil is kneaded, then patiently rolled and rubbed by hand into delicate, coiled shapes. Due to this distinctive shape, they are also called koullourota. Once formed and cut into smaller pieces, the pasta is spread out on a tsestos (a traditional shallow to flat reed basket) to dry under the Mediterranean sun.

Traditionally, makaronia roanata were served boiled, enriched with butter or pork lard and topped with plenty of grated halloumi or anari cheese and dried mint.