Traditional Breads from Cyprus. The “Arkatena”

Abstract

The now rising need for healthier food and the turn to better and improved lifestyle, led science in new paths were finding advanced ways of incorporating nutrients and functional components in current food stuff became a necessity. Fermentation is gaining attention as are the characteristics that this process induces in food products: increasing their nutritional value and content, improving the organoleptic characteristics, extending their shelf life, removing unwanted compounds and generally giving a different and even better character to the products applied. It is also shown that fermented food products boost the immune system and specifically the human gut microbiota (Mohajeri, M. H., Brummer, R. J., Rastall, R. A., Weersma, R. K., Harmsen, H. J., Faas, M., & Eggersdorfer, M. (2018). The role of the microbiome for human health: from basic science to clinical applications. European Journal of Nutrition, 57, 1–14.). Legumes are a great raw material used to enhance food products due to their protein content with high biological value, essential amino-acids, lipids, carbohydrates, fibers and important minerals, vitamins, oligosaccharides and phenolic compounds. They are versatile and have been used in many products including pasta, bread, sausages and baby food. Moreover, fermenting legumes is also another alternative that enriches their nutritional value and reduces the anti-nutritional components they contain. In Cyprus, they are a major ingredient in Cypriot cuisine and traditional recipes. There is a bread called Arkatena which is prepared using chickpeas. Cracked chickpeas submerged in hot water with ginger, cloves and bay leaves initiate a spontaneous anaerobic fermentation in a sealed jar where a characteristic white foam called Arkatis is produced on the surface. Arkatis is collected, mixed with water and flour in order to create a starter culture for the dough. Similar to Arkatena, Eftazymo is a bread prepared in Greece. These and more examples of legume and other non-cereal sourdough products are discussed.