Cypriot arkatena bread — a sourdough recipe with chickpea leaven older than Christianity
Arkatena (αρκατένα) is a wheat bread made with a sourdough starter from fermented chickpeas, baked in Cyprus continuously for at least 3000 years. Archaeologists have found grain grinding tools and traces of grain fermentation in the Kalavasos-Agios Dimitrios settlement (Larnaka district) dating back to the Bronze Age — i.e., around 1300 BC. Whether this is the direct ancestor of arkatena is still debated by researchers, but the tradition of chickpea sourdough is on the island older than Christianity, which partly codified it.
What is chickpea sourdough and why is it a novelty for bakers from abroad
Most European bakers are familiar with wheat or rye sourdough — a mixture of flour and water fermented by wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Cypriot tradition took a different path: cooked or soaked chickpeas (gr. ρεβύθια, revythia) are used as a starter for fermentation.
Chickpeas contain natural wild yeasts on the skin and simple sugars ideal for fermentation. Soaked and lightly crushed, they are covered with water in a ratio of 1:3 and ferment in a warm place for 2–4 days. The resulting liquid — slightly cloudy, with bubbles of gas and a sour smell — is the starter for arkatena bread.
This starter has several advantages over the standard one:
- Faster fermentation (24–48h at 25–28°C compared to 5–7 days for wheat sourdough)
- Less sour taste, slightly nutty — does not dominate the taste of the bread
- High fermentation activity even in the heat of Cyprus (chickpea sourdough doesn't "sleep" at 35°C)
Basic recipe — village arkatena
Ingredients for 2 loaves:
Starter:
- 200 g dried chickpeas
- 600 ml warm water (approx. 28°C)
- Ferment for 2–3 days covered with cloth
Bread:
- 800 g wheat flour type 650 (or a mixture of 650+1050)
- 500 ml liquid from the chickpea starter (without grains)
- 150 ml warm water
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Optional: sesame or nigella seeds on top
Instructions:
- Mix flour with salt, add chickpea starter liquid and olive oil, knead for 10 minutes until smooth
- Cover with a cloth, leave to rise for 6–8 hours at room temperature (in the Cypriot summer — 4 hours is enough)
- Punch down the dough, shape into oval loaves
- Second rising for 1–1.5 hours
- Bake at 220°C for 10 minutes, then at 190°C for another 25–30 minutes
- Readiness: tapping the bottom gives a dull sound
Arkatena bread has a characteristic golden-brown crust, a slightly yellowish crumb from the chickpeas, and a distinct nutty aroma. It hardens more slowly than industrial yeast bread.
Regional and liturgical variations
In Cyprus, arkatena is not uniform. It varies between regions and occasions:
Easter arkatena (tsoureki) — a richer version with butter, eggs, and mastic (Chios resin) — baked on Holy Saturday and eaten after the Easter morning liturgy.
Arkatena Andreu — a bread for the feast of Saint Andrew (November 30), round, decorated with a dough cross, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Arkatena with Kalamata olives — a common everyday version with black olives pressed into the dough. Popular in Paphos villages.
Arkatena with anise — popular in Karpasia (northern Cyprus), flavored with anise seeds and grated orange zest.
Where to buy and how much does it cost
Arkatena with chickpea sourdough is a specialty of village bakeries, not supermarkets. Places with authentic product:
- Psaras Bakery — village of Omodos, GPS: 34.839°N, 32.817°E. Traditional arkatena 500 g approx. 2.50 EUR (11 zł). Open 6:00–13:00 daily.
- Bakery in Kakopetrii (GPS: 34.987°N, 32.902°E) — old part of the village, bread made by hand, 2–3 EUR per loaf
- Limassol Municipal Market — Saturdays, producers from the Troodos region
Industrial bread sold as "arkatena" in supermarkets usually does not contain real chickpea sourdough — it uses instant yeast plus flavoring. Read the labels: the ingredient "ζύμη ρεβυθιών" (zyme revythion — chickpea sourdough) must be listed.
Controversy: arkatena and the issue of cultural ownership
In 2022, a Greek culinary portal published an article claiming that "arkatena is originally from Crete." Cypriot culinary associations and the Ministry of Culture of Cyprus filed formal objections to the European Commission, citing historical documents from the Frankish period (13th–14th century), which mention "panis Cypriacus ex revythis" — Cypriot bread from chickpeas.
The matter is not settled, but for anyone who has eaten both breads — Cypriot chickpea sourdough and Cretan — the difference is obvious. It is not the same product.
Trahanas, arkatena and the consistency of cuisine
Arkatena and trahanas (fermented shepherd's soup) together form a fermented duet of Cypriot village cuisine — both rely on microbiology predating the era of refrigerators. This is a cuisine where fermentation was a method of preservation, not a gastronomic trend.
An authentic Cypriot breakfast at an agrotourism farm includes arkatena bread, a bowl of trahanas, olives, and halloumi. Accommodation with such a breakfast — in Troodos and Pitsilia village guesthouses — can be booked on CyprusBooker under the filter "agrotourism" or "traditional breakfast".