National Dish Cyprus: Elioti (Recipe)
In this article
Elioti is Cyprus’s olive bread, and what makes it Cypriot rather than merely Mediterranean is the mint — dried mint worked through the dough alongside black olives and onion. It is baked as a loaf or as small hand pies, and it is eaten warm, when the olive oil in the crumb is at its most fragrant.
About Elioti
Elioti is the savoury olive bread of Cyprus. A light yeast dough is worked with strong pitted olives, onions, fresh mint and a good measure of olive oil, then baked golden. Served warm, this rustic bread gives its full Mediterranean flavour, soft within, crisp without. Elioti is among the best-known specialities of Cypriot baking and appears at every bakery on the island.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon dried yeast
- 150 ml lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 100 g pitted black olives, roughly chopped
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh mint
- A pinch of salt
Shopping for the ingredients
Use good black olives with real flavour, Kalamata or the wrinkled Cypriot elies tsakistes, and pit them yourself if necessary, since pre-pitted olives in brine are usually bland. Dried mint is traditional here and is more concentrated than fresh. Use a decent olive oil; you will taste it.
Preparing the dish
Chop the olives roughly rather than finely, so there are recognisable pieces in the crumb. Soften the onion first, raw onion in bread stays sharp and watery. Let the dough rise fully before the additions are folded in.
Step-by-step instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and leave 10 minutes.
- Mix into the flour with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a soft dough.
- Knead for 8 minutes, then rise for 1 hour until doubled.
- Meanwhile, soften the diced onion in the remaining oil for 5 minutes; cool.
- Knock back the dough and fold in the olives, cooled onion and mint.
- Shape into a round loaf on a lined tray, or into small flat pies.
- Rest for 20 minutes; heat the oven to 200°C.
- Brush with olive oil and bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden; eat warm.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Elioti contains no dairy and is naturally lactose-free. A gluten-free version needs a bread blend with xanthan gum and a wetter dough, bake it in a tin and expect a denser crumb.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The bread is vegan as written: flour, water, yeast, olives, onion, mint and oil. Nothing needs changing, which makes it one of the more useful things on a Cypriot mezze table.
More tips and tricks
Fold the olives in after the rise rather than before, since their salt slows the yeast. Dry the chopped olives on paper so they do not make the dough wet. And eat it warm, elioti is a different and lesser thing cold.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Chopped walnuts folded through are a common addition. Coriander seed, crushed, is very Cypriot. A little halloumi in the dough makes a richer, non-vegan version.
Ingredient substitutions
Green olives work in place of black. Fresh mint substitutes for dried, using three times as much. Spring onion gives a milder result than onion.
Drink pairing ideas
A dry Cypriot white such as Xynisteri suits it well. Zivania, the local spirit, is what it is served with at a mezze table. Strong Cypriot coffee works in the morning.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve elioti warm, sliced from the loaf or as individual pies, with halloumi, tomatoes and olives on the side. It is picnic food, breakfast food and mezze food in equal measure, and it needs nothing more than a plate.
A bit of history
Cyprus has cultivated olives for thousands of years, and olive bread appears across the eastern Mediterranean in dozens of local forms. The mint is what marks the Cypriot version, the island uses it far more heavily than Greece does, in both sweet and savoury cooking. It offers a genuine window onto Cypriot cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Elioti
Elioti is a Cypriot yeast bread folded with black olives, onion, mint and olive oil. Fold the olives in after the rise, dry them first, and eat it warm.
