flipFigs and Cheese Maza
Figs and Cheese Maza
Why this dish? Before the feast of the gods, there is the ordinary table of men and temple servants: the barley *maza*, eaten daily in Cyprus as in Athens, enhanced with figs and cheese that were also offered to the goddess.
A dense flatbread of barley flour kneaded with water and oil, barely cooked, shared with soft figs and goat cheese. The daily bread of the Greek world, simple, filling, true.
Do not think, friend, that I have eyes only for feasts! The humblest house in Cyprus honors me with a simple *maza*. They mix barley flour with water and a dash of oil, knead it with the palm of the hand, and eat it with sun-soaked fig and goat cheese. It is the food of my temple servants, and it is worth many banquets: for a table shared without ostentation is still love that you render to me.
- •Toasted barley flour — two handfuls (base)
- •Water — as needed (to bind the dough)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (softness)
- •Fresh or dried figs — a handful (sweet accompaniment)
- •Goat cheese — a piece (savory opson)
Figs and Cheese Maza
A dense flatbread of barley flour kneaded with water and oil, barely cooked, shared with soft figs and goat cheese. The daily bread of the Greek world, simple, filling, true.
Why this dish? Before the feast of the gods, there is the ordinary table of men and temple servants: the barley *maza*, eaten daily in Cyprus as in Athens, enhanced with figs and cheese that were also offered to the goddess.
Do not think, friend, that I have eyes only for feasts! The humblest house in Cyprus honors me with a simple *maza*. They mix barley flour with water and a dash of oil, knead it with the palm of the hand, and eat it with sun-soaked fig and goat cheese. It is the food of my temple servants, and it is worth many banquets: for a table shared without ostentation is still love that you render to me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted barley flour — two handfuls (base)
- Water — as needed (to bind the dough)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (softness)
- Fresh or dried figs — a handful (sweet accompaniment)
- Goat cheese — a piece (savory opson)
Ingredients
- Barley flour — 200 g (base)
- Warm water — 120 ml (to bind the dough)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (softness)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Figs (fresh or rehydrated dried) — 6 (accompaniment)
- Fresh goat cheese — 150 g (savory accompaniment)
Method
- Mix the barley flour with salt, add warm water and oil, knead into a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Shape into flat cakes about 1 cm thick.
- Cook on a hot griddle or pan, 4-5 min per side, until colored.
- Halve the figs, crumble the goat cheese.
- Serve the *maza* warm with figs and cheese, drizzled with olive oil.
How it was made : The *maza*, an unleavened barley flatbread, was the staple food of ancient Greece, more common than wheat bread, which was reserved for the wealthy. It was eaten with *opson* — anything that "accompanied": figs, olives, cheese, onions. Barley was often toasted before grinding for better preservation.
The contemporary twist : Serve as an open tartine: warm *maza*, goat cheese shavings, honey-roasted fig, and a twist of pepper — a meze for today.
Aphrodite · Charactorium
