Athienou bread and loukoumi expected to gain EU protected status within a year

Athienou, Cyprus. Athienou bread and loukoumi are expected to receive European protected geographical indication status within the next year, Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said on Sunday.

Protection for local products

The status links a product’s name to its place of origin and prevents producers elsewhere from using that name.

Senekis said the move aims to strengthen the position of Cypriot products in domestic and overseas markets and ease the financial burden on producers.

He also said a national “Cyprus Brand”, designed to improve recognition of Cypriot products, is in its final stage of completion.

Athienou bread specifications

Under the application, Athienou bread is a round loaf made from wheat flour, at least 90 per cent of which must be durum wheat, together with water, salt and either yeast or sourdough.

Every stage of production, from receiving the ingredients to baking, must take place within the boundaries of Athienou municipality, in areas under the effective control of the Republic. Cutting and packaging may take place elsewhere.

The application bases the bread’s connection with the town on a reputation built over more than 100 years.

In the 1970s, a legal limit of one kilogramme per loaf made the larger Athienou bread illegal for a period. Market inspectors confiscated loaves, and the dispute with local bakers was reported in the press at the time.

Loukoumi and cultural heritage

Athienou loukoumi is an almond-filled wedding sweet made with semolina, butter and sugar, and covered in icing sugar. It resembles the kourabiedes usually served at Christmas.

Following a proposal by the municipality, it was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2019, becoming the fourth element of Athienou culture to be listed.