Makaronia tis Smilas

Makaronia tis Smilas, also called Makaronia tou Sklinitziou, are a hand-made dried pasta from Cyprus with an EU protected geographical indication (PGI). Each piece is a short, irregular tube with a small hole running through it lengthwise, thinner at the ends than in the middle.

The dough is durum wheat flour mixed with a little salt and water, and/or another flour mixed with semolina, salt and water; olive oil may also be used. The dried pasta is 3–6 cm long and 0.3–0.7 cm thick at its thickest point, off-white, hard and smooth, with under 12% moisture, 70–80% carbohydrates and under 1% salt.

The name comes from the tool. The dough is rested, cut into small pieces and each piece is rolled around a 'sklinitzi' – a smooth, cylindrical rush stem (Juncus) 30–40 cm long – or, in the past, a thin skewer called a 'smila'. Experienced makers shape several pieces at once. The pasta is dried on sieves or in baskets so that the pieces do not touch, and it is ready when it is no longer sticky and the pieces knock together with a dry sound when shaken. All steps, and packing, take place in Cyprus.

Makaronia tis Smilas were a dish for Sundays, weddings and harvest time, and making them gave village women a chance to meet. Packs are transparent so the hand-made shape and the hole can be seen, and must carry the words 'χειροποίητα ζυμαρικά' (hand-made pasta) and a reference to the sklinitzi.