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Cereals and bread from Cyprus

Arkatena (Cypriot chickpea-leavened bread and rusks)αρκατένα

Arkatena are Cypriot koulouri (circular breads) and rusks raised with arkatis, the white foam that forms when cracked chickpeas ferment in hot water with ginger, cloves and bay leaves in a sealed jar. The foam is collected and mixed with water and flour into a starter for the dough.

Fully documentedCereals and bread

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe sources describe the method but give no amounts or times for the Cypriot arkatis. The government gastronomy guide calls the arkatis recipe the secret for the rusk, brought to Omodos from Smyrna.
Cracked chickpeas[katsounotou2023]
Hot water[katsounotou2023]
Ginger, cloves and bay leaves[katsounotou2023]
Flour and waterMixed with the foam to make the starter, then the dough[katsounotou2023]
Starterspontaneous (chickpea foam)
Start
Drag the bar or press Play
SugarsLactic acid

What changes: Cracked chickpeas in hot spiced water foam up in a sealed jar

Step 1 of 4
Steep cracked chickpeas in hot water with spices in a sealed jar
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: arkatis foam.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

A spontaneous anaerobic fermentation; a white foam (arkatis) forms on the surface.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Arkatena are Cypriot koulouri (circular breads) and rusks raised with arkatis, the white foam that forms when cracked chickpeas ferment in hot water with ginger, cloves and bay leaves in a sealed jar. The foam is collected and mixed with water and flour into a starter for the dough.

What makes this one different

Arkatena are leavened with the foam of a spontaneous chickpea fermentation, as is the Greek eftazymo. In Cyprus the cracked chickpeas steep in hot water with ginger, cloves and bay leaves in a sealed jar.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Arkatena rusksThe government guide says arkatena rusks were first made in Omodos around 1880.

Safety

The Greek chickpea leaven carried Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus as its main isolates, and the Greek fermenting liquid was not toxic to mice when injected in one test, from which the authors judged the product safe to eat. That one test does not clear a home batch. In that study the liquid's pH had fallen only to about 5.4 at 18 hours, above the FDA's growth limits for C. perfringens (5.0), B. cereus (4.3) and C. botulinum (4.6), and a sealed jar keeps out air. Arkatis itself has not been tested, and the study's abstract reports no test for C. botulinum. Do not taste the jar's liquid or foam.

Hazards the sources name: Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus, the main isolates of the Greek chickpea leaven (not tested in arkatis).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Arkatena rusks were first made in Omodos around 1880, from an arkatis recipe brought from Smyrna. The name may come from the Greek ergatis (workman), for the laborious starter. Arkatena were once offered at christenings and weddings.

Process times
The sources we found give no figure for how long any of its steps take.
Temperature, salt and pH
The sources we found give no temperature, salt or pH figure for any of its steps.
  1. [katsounotou2023] Katsounotou M., Xenofontos E., Tsaltas D. 2023, Traditional breads from Cyprus. The Arkatena, in Traditional European Breads, Springer, pp. 97–114, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-23352-4_5 (abstract)book
  2. [govcy] Republic of Cyprus 2025, Gastronomy in Cyprus, Arkatena Omodousgov
  3. [hatzikamari2007] Hatzikamari M., Yiangou M., Tzanetakis N., Litopoulou-Tzanetaki E. 2007, Changes in numbers and kinds of bacteria during a chickpea submerged fermentation used as a leavening agent for bread production, International Journal of Food Microbiology 116:37–43, doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2006.12.030 (abstract; Greek chickpea leaven, not arkatis)paper
  4. [fda-app4] US FDA 2011, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, 4th ed., Appendix 4, Bacterial pathogen growth and inactivation, Table A-1 (limits for the pathogens themselves)gov