#cypriot

Bronze shield with griffon vulture. Idaean Cave. Early Archaic period. Cypriot and Assyrian influences are both visible in the shield. 675-650 BCE.

Terracotta mask in the shape of the head of a fox, dog, or bat

Cypriot

Terracotta warriors, Cypro-Archaic II, Cypriot

Buried beneath the unassuming landscape of Agia Eirini lay an ancient sanctuary that had remained hidden for over 2,000 years.

Spanning an area of nearly 4,000 square meters, the site contained an extensive collection of terracotta figures – over 2,000 in total – ranging from life-sized warriors and horsemen to smaller religious and domestic figurines.

The terracotta army at Agia Eirini likely served as a ritual space for the training and veneration of soldiers, with the figures representing both individual warriors and collective military units.

This is still festive season, so we still celebrate. Thus, I emerge from my food induced coma to bring you a recipe the administrator (which, in this particular context, means a dignified cook and maid) of our embassy to Cyprus generously shared with me, after I seemingly sounded too enthusiastic trying it. It is a spectacular, yet unassuming, moment of taking a British classic and adapting it to the local pantry. Inadvertent fusion. I don't make it often; but when I do, it disappears very, very quickly.

For one big loaf tin (or 2 regular loaf tins), you will need: 2 cups (400 grams) sugar, 1 3/4 cup (215 grams) flour, 3/4 cup (90 grams) cocoa (always prefer the dark/Dutch variety, with Van Houten a reliable staple, for the proper contrast), 1 tsp (5 grams) baking powder, 1 leveled tsp (5 grams) salt, 2 eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) milk, 3/4 cup (177 ml) EVOO (if you feel olive oil, which is an acquired taste anyways, is too strong, you can substitute with your usual vegetable oil, like sunflower, for a more subtle result), 2 drops vanilla extract, 1 cup (240 ml) warm water, 3/4 cup (90 grams) finely chopped fresh mint (you can substitute with a hefty slug of Marie Brizard peppermint liqueur or rehydrated dry mint leaves, but it will not be as bold and bright as the real thing), butter and flour for the cake tins, powdered sugar for dusting.

Preheat your oven at 400 F (200 Celsius). In a big plastic bowl, gently mix the sugar, the flour, the cocoa, the baking powder, the salt, the vanilla extract and the mint (if, like I did yesterday, you use Marie Brizard or rehydrated mint, add them at step 3).

In a second bowl, beat the eggs with milk, EVOO and warm water. Incorporate each ingredient gradually, beating throughout.

Put 1 and 2 in a blender (now you are adding the alcohol - it will evaporate, anyways, leaving a faint aftertaste, or the rehydrated leaves). Blend for 2 to 3 minutes, not more! Can be done in batches, trying to keep an even proportion, if the blender is small (and European, LOL). Can even be done by hand, if you feel brave.

With the corner of a paper towel, butter evenly your cake tins, then dust with flour. Pay attention to the joints and corners, this is usually why the loaves stick. You are welcome. Pour the blended mix. Do not worry if it looks too liquid, you are doing the right thing and are on the right track.

Bake at 350 F (180 Celsius) for about 40 to 45 minutes. The proverbial toothpick (or sgian-dubh, LOL) inserted in the middle must be completely dry to show it is properly baked. Take out of the oven, let slightly cool, take out of the tin, dust with powdered sugar. It should look like this:

Let completely cool, before cutting and serving. The final result is a moist, scrumptious and guilty pleasure, great with coffee or your usual cuppa.

Let's see if Tumblr still thinks this is mature content, too. Not even LOL, it's annoying.