The traditional nut brittle of Pastelaki originated from Ancient Greece and makes good use of the locally grown nuts and sesame seeds, particularly almonds and peanuts.
Resembling a cereal bar, truly authentic Pastelaki binds sesame seeds with carob syrup to make a nutritious and healthy sweet treat, although more commercial versions now use honey or other sugars, and a variety of nuts.
Available in packaged bars, Pastelaki makes a sweet gift or great souvenir to take back and enjoy at home!
The grape jelly of Palouze is a wonderfully traditional Cypriot dessert that takes advantage of the glut of grapes grown in the winemaking villages of the island.
Akin to a blancmange, the dessert is made by collecting the grape juice (must) during the grape harvest and boiling it in a large cauldron (‘kazani’), with a small amount of white soil called ‘asproi’, which brings any impurities to the surface for removal.
Flour is added to the juice in ratios of 8:1 (juice to flour) until it is cooked to the right consistency to produce a jelly. Crushed nuts are added and it is served when set.
Cyprus has a long-standing tradition of honey making, producing a large number of high-quality and award-winning honeys that are known for their pureness.
The variety of honeys – ranging from clear and golden to thick and crunchy – take their distinct flavours from a bouquet of over 1,908 different flora including thyme, eucalyptus, orange blossom and polyflora. There are also many producers of raw honey that has not been heated, and therefore retains its super-nutritious and healing properties.
Honey is readily available to buy in shops and directly from villages where small producers bottle the most delectable kinds, perfect to take home as a souvenir or gift!
As their name indicates, the traditional glyka ‘spoon sweets’ are candied preserves that are typically served on a small spoon and offered to guests as a symbol of hospitality, always with a glass of cold water.
When visiting the island, you may find you are offered one at the end of a meal and although the portion may appear small, you won’t be able to manage a second serving as they are very sweet – and half the time you will be unable to identify exactly which fruit or vegetable has been candied!
Almost any fruit, vegetable, nut or peel can be preserved, and the sweets are often flavoured with vanilla, cinnamon or pelargonium (scented geranium leaves).
The more common sweets are made from figs, cherries, watermelon rind and citrus peel, walnuts, apricots, marrows, grapes, bergamot or almond stuffed baby aubergines. Some are made from fruit that is otherwise inedible, such as the ‘kitromilo’, the bitter Seville orange that cannot be eaten raw.
Preparation is similar to that of marmalade; the ingredient of choice is first soaked in water and cooking lime (calcium hydroxide) to become crispy, then in water and lemon juice to become shiny and preserve its colour, before it is gently boiled in sugar over several days.
In more traditional times, spoon sweets were given as wedding favours, whereby the guests would eat the sweet directly from the spoon, which was then washed for the next well-wisher. Almost every Cypriot home had specially-made delicate serving dishes and tiny silver forks and spoons with which they served the sweets to their guests. The family recipe for making the preserves was traditionally passed down to the daughters.
In today’s modern Cypriot society, it is more common to buy a jar, and you can find a number of different brands that make a lovely gift or a traditional souvenir to remind you of your visit to the island.
Delicious, sticky carob syrup may taste like it belongs in the dessert-section, but it is actually an extremely nutritious product made with locally grown carob pods that can be enjoyed in place of honey and other sweeteners.
Carob syrup is perfect for drizzling on yogurt or Anari cheese for a healthy but sweet snack. It can also be used in baked goods, salad dressings, marinades and sauces in place of honey or sugar. Traditionally, a carob toffee known as ‘Pastelli’ is made with the syrup.
The syrup is made by boiling carob pods in a large bronze container with water for around four hours. The pulp is then strained to leave the resulting golden-black syrup. Many other products are produced from carobs, including carob flour and chocolate.
The carob tree is an indigenous species of the island, cultivated for four thousand years. Once the island’s major export, the carob pods or ‘black gold’, were prized for their versatility, high nutritional value and hardiness that allowed them to be stored and transported across long distances.
These delicious little pastries (similar to turnovers) have a sweet Anari cheese and cinnamon filling and are fried, then dusted with icing sugar or dipped in syrup. Some variations also add rosewater or citrus blossom water to the filling.
Tsamarella is a dish of goat meat that is considered to be a delicacy as part of the meze meal.
Large pieces of fatty goat meat are slit and salted with heavy weights placed on top of the meat, which is hung to dry in the sun for approximately 10 days. The meat is then soaked, covered in oregano and again, dried in the sun.
Like Hiromeri, Tsamarella is also an ideal accompaniment to Zivania (a strong local spirit).
The traditional, spicy village sausages known as Loukanika and Pastourma are both cured in a similar fashion and both contain red dry wine, salt, garlic and spices, including coriander seeds and black pepper. Loukanika is made with pork meat whilst Pastourma is made with beef meat.
Locals love to eat them as part of a meze, as an accompaniment in a barbecue, or fried with Halloumi and eggs for a very Cypriot twist on the fried breakfast!
Some of the mountain villages produce these sausages and other cured meats as specialty products, and you can find them in the chiller section of most supermarkets, vacuum packed to withstand the flight home!
The traditional cured pork loin of Lountza is one of the island’s most popular cured meats and is often partnered with Halloumi cheese in sandwiches, or served with fried eggs.
The pork filets or loins are salted, marinated in red wine, dried in the sun, rolled in coriander seeds and finally smoked in a specially built chimney with wood from various aromatic bushes and trees. Lountza can be served cold, fried or grilled.
When vacuum-packed, the meat has a long shelf life and makes the perfect taste of Cyprus to take back with you to enjoy at home!
Hiromeri is a flavoursome delicacy of smoked pork ham. It is salted and marinated in red wine and seasoning before being pressed under heavy weights, then finally smoked. Hiromeri is served as a snack with drinks, particularly with wine and Zivania (a strong local spirit), cut into very small pieces and served alongside other nibbles.
