Author: Christos

The island’s cuisine wouldn’t be complete without Pita bread – the leavened flat bread made in ovals of varying sizes that can be split to form a pocket.

The ‘pockets’ are traditionally filled with small cubes of barbecued meat to form the national take-away dish, Souvlakia, or with Halloumi cheese and Lountza (cured pork meat) for a truly Cypriot version of a sandwich!

Pita is also served with dips and often forms part of the meze meal. They may also be served instead of other breads at restaurants.

The main nuts grown on the island are almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts, which are eaten raw, roasted and salted. They are also used to make the nut brittle Pastelaki, along with nut-filled pastries such as Kataifi and Baklava, as well as many other sweets and desserts. A traditional cordial, Soumada, is made with almonds.

You can find a large selection of packaged Cypriot nuts in supermarkets, either alone or in a variety of mixes that can also include locally produced dried fruits. They make a great gift or souvenir to take back home!

Koulouri is a very tasty bread, with an almost cake-like texture, that is covered in sesame seeds, caraway seeds and aniseed.

It is commonly baked as one large ring, or little individual rings, or in a long loaf with oblong pieces marked out to break off easily.

A specially made version called Lagana is extremely popular on the public holiday of Green Monday – which is a day where locals take to the outdoors to enjoy a Lenten picnic and begin the fasting period before Easter.

A Kolokoti is simply a delicious pumpkin pie – enjoyed as a handheld snack and widely available from the local 24-hour bakeries.

The pastry is stuffed with diced pumpkin, cracked wheat (bulgar), olive oil and raisins, seasoned with cinnamon and sometimes dill, then sealed like a calzone in a crescent shape. They are especially popular as a Lenten food.

These fried semolina pastries often come hand-in-hand with Loukmades (honey donuts) as they tend to be made by the same vendors, mainly at traditional festivals and fairs.

The dough pockets are filled with a cooked sweet semolina paste, fried to perfection then dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. As with most recipes, there are variations with some also adding mastic and orange blossom water to the semolina filling.

Soutzoukos is a traditional, chewy sweet made from grape juice that has a unique appearance (it looks similar to a candle!), and is popular at traditional festivals.

The sweet is made using the surplus of grapes after the grape harvest, which is why it is commonly made in the wine producing villages of the Troodos and Pafos regions.

To make Soutzoukos, the hot mixture known as ‘moustalevria’ (a combination of the Greek words ‘must’ and ‘flour’) is used. Almonds (and sometimes walnuts) are dipped into water to soften them, and then threaded onto strings of two to three metres in length. They are dipped into the hot mixture until completely covered, and then hung to dry for a few hours. This dipping process is repeated three to five times over the course of hours or days until the desired thickness is achieved (approximately one inch in diameter). It takes five to six days for the Soutzouko to dry and it can then be stored for months. When served, it is chopped into slices with a nutty centre and a chewy texture, often as an accompaniment to Zivania (a strong local spirit).

Cyprus is famous for its delicious sweets known as ‘delights’, which have been produced on the island for centuries.

Along with a number of other villages, Geroskipou – in the Pafos district – still traditionally produces these soft, chewy sweets made, without the use of preservatives, simply with sugar, cornstarch and flavouring or nuts, then dusted with icing sugar to prevent them from sticking together.

You can find pretty boxes of delights in a number of different flavours. The most traditional is rose, followed by lemon, mastic and bergamot, although you can also find more modern flavours – including chocolate – with or without nuts.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t leave the island without at least a couple of boxes for friends, or just all for yourself!

The sweet honey donuts called Loukoumades are a very popular treat, enjoyed mainly at festivals, from street vendors and at special coffee shops.

The batter is made from flour, yeast, water and the unusual ingredient of mashed potato or mashed boiled rice. They are deep-fried in very hot oil until golden.

Once the Loukoumades are removed from the oil, they are drained and immediately drenched in sweet syrup or honey and dusted with cinnamon. Best enjoyed hot!

Kiofterka is a thick, jelly-type sweet made from boiled grape juice, thickened with a little flour and then dried in the sun. It is delicately flavoured with rose water.

The nutritional sweet of Pastelli is made with the syrup of carob pods, produced by boiling their pulp until it forms a thick, sticky liquid similar to treacle.

Whilst carobs are in abundance on the island, Pastelli is very special as it is handmade by repeatedly and painstakingly stretching and pulling the carob toffee.

This traditional process is only practised today in the village of Anogyra, and only in the cooler months, between September and May, as the toffee doesn’t shape well in the heat. As such, it is one of the island’s sweeter delicacies.

The carob tree is an indigenous species that has been cultivated on the island for four thousand years. Once the island’s major export, carobs, or ‘black gold’, were prized for their versatility, high nutritional value and hardiness that allowed them to be stored and transported across long distances.