Types

Apart from barley, paximadi was (and still is) made from plain and whole meal wheat flour, from migadi (equal portions of whole meal barley and wheat flour), triomigado (equal portions of barley, wheat and oat), migadi of oat (mixed oat and wheat flour or barley and oat). In many areas an “official” kind of paximadi from eptazymo bread is produced (in the villages around Mount Dicte).

As far as shapes are concerned Cretan paximadi is separated in two big categories: dakos and kouloura. Dakos is a thick slice from an oblong bread. Kouloura is a round shaped bread cut through horizontally to separate the upper from the lower half; the “panokaukalo” (upper shell) and the “katokaukalo” (lower shell).

 

Soaking

 
Paximadi can be consumed dry or dipped in water to make it softer. There are many kinds of “soft” paximadi which do not need to be soaked. Those usually break more easily and we see them broken even inside the packaging. Soaking should be done with special care. Paximadi must be left in the water for less than 30 seconds in order to get soft enough but without losing its texture. If it is left in water for longer time it scatters and loses its form.

In general terms it must be comfortably eatable, soft but not soaked and there should be some crispy areas left. We’d better keep a bowl with water on the table and dip small portions of paximadi because once it has been soaked it must be consumed within a short time.

TEAM OF CRETAN PAXIMADI PRODUCERS