National Dish Cyprus: Xerotigana (Recipe)
In this article
Xerotigana are ribbons of paper-thin dough coiled into spirals in hot oil, fried crisp and then drenched in warm honey with walnuts and sesame. They belong to weddings and to Christmas, and making them is a communal job — one person rolls, one fries, one coils.
About Xerotigana
Xerotigana are the crisp fried dough spirals of Cyprus. A wafer-thin dough is drawn out, shaped into elaborate rosettes and spirals, fried golden and then generously drenched with warm honey and scattered with chopped walnuts and sesame. This festive sweet belongs traditionally to weddings and Christmas on the island.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 150 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine or lemon juice
- A pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Oil, for deep frying
Shopping for the ingredients
A strongly flavoured honey, thyme honey from the Troodos mountains is the island’s own, makes a real difference here, since it is poured on generously. Use good olive oil in the dough. The white wine is not incidental: it makes the dough more elastic and reduces oil absorption.
Preparing the dish
Make the dough and rest it well, which is what allows it to be rolled genuinely thin. A pasta machine is a legitimate shortcut and gives more even ribbons than a rolling pin. Have a fork or long skewer ready for coiling the strips in the oil.
Step-by-step instructions
- Mix the flour, egg, olive oil, wine and salt into a smooth dough; rest 1 hour.
- Roll out as thinly as possible, or pass through a pasta machine to the thinnest setting.
- Cut into long ribbons about 3 cm wide.
- Heat the oil to 170°C.
- Lower one end of a ribbon into the oil and coil it round with a fork as it fries.
- Fry for 1–2 minutes until pale golden and crisp; drain on a rack.
- Warm the honey gently until runny.
- Drizzle generously over the spirals and scatter with walnuts and sesame.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Xerotigana contain no dairy and are naturally lactose-free. A gluten-free version needs a blend with xanthan gum; the dough is fragile and will not stretch as thin, so expect shorter ribbons.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The pastry is vegetarian. For a vegan version, replace the egg with 3 tablespoons of aquafaba and the honey with a sugar or grape-must syrup (petimezi), the latter is the older Cypriot sweetener anyway.
More tips and tricks
Roll the dough as thin as you possibly can; thick xerotigana are heavy and disappointing. Coil them in the oil rather than before, which is easier than it sounds after the first two. And honey them only just before serving, or they lose their crispness.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Cinnamon mixed with the sesame is a common finish. Orange zest in the dough brightens it. Grape-must syrup in place of honey gives the older, more rustic version.
Ingredient substitutions
Brandy or zivania substitutes for the white wine. Almonds or pistachios work in place of walnuts. Sugar syrup replaces honey, though with a plainer flavour.
Drink pairing ideas
Strong Cypriot coffee is the classic partner. Commandaria, the island’s sweet wine, suits a festive serving. Zivania is what is poured at the weddings where these appear.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve xerotigana piled on a platter with honey pooling underneath and nuts scattered generously over. At Cypriot weddings they are made in enormous quantities and handed out to guests, the spirals are meant to look impressive, so do not flatten them.
A bit of history
Fried honeyed pastries are among the oldest sweets in the Greek world, with ancestors described in antiquity. Xerotigana are shared between Cyprus and Crete, where they are made almost identically, and they remain celebration food, too laborious for an ordinary Tuesday. It offers a genuine window onto Cypriot cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Xerotigana
Xerotigana are paper-thin dough ribbons coiled into spirals in hot oil, fried crisp and drenched in honey with walnuts and sesame. Roll them thin, coil them in the pan, honey them last.
