Barley Cake with Cheese and Olives (Maza)
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Barley flour — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 150 ml (2/3 cup)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- Soft fresh cheese (or a mild feta) — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Mixed olives — 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Chopped fresh oregano — 1 tbsp
Method
- Combine the barley flour and salt in a bowl.
- Gradually work in the warm water and olive oil until a soft, cohesive dough forms.
- Knead briefly and shape into four flat rounds.
- Let the rounds rest for 10 minutes to firm slightly.
- Serve each round topped with crumbled cheese, olives, and a scattering of oregano.
Introduction: An unbaked, kneaded barley cake — the everyday midday staple of ordinary Greeks — served here with soft cheese and olives.
Cultural Background: Unlike leavened wheat bread (artos), maza was typically not baked but formed from barley meal moistened with water, wine, milk or oil and eaten as a dense cake. It was considered the humbler counterpart to wheat bread, and comic playwrights often used it to signal frugality or rustic living.
Tips: Barley flour dough is denser and stickier than wheat dough — wet hands make shaping easier.
Variations: A little crushed garlic or grated onion can be worked into the dough for extra flavour.
Nutrition: Approx. 340 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Is maza baked like bread?
A: Traditionally no — it was typically eaten unbaked or only lightly dried, unlike leavened artos.
Q: What cheese is authentic?
A: A fresh sheep’s or goat’s milk cheese is closest to what ancient Greeks would have used.
- Barley flour — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 150 ml (2/3 cup)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- Soft fresh cheese (or a mild feta) — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Mixed olives — 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Chopped fresh oregano — 1 tbsp
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