Cypriot cuisine is rich and varied a unique and exotic blend of all the cultures and foods of the many countries surrounding this intoxicating island - an integration of Greek, Lebanese, Turkish and Italian cuisine with an unmistakable mark that makes it undeniably Cypriot. It has been said that ‘Cyprus is the perfect island where food is ambrosia and wine is nectar'. Whoever said that civilisation started on the table and variety was the spice of life surely had Cyprus in mind. In ancient times it was said that Cyprus invented the art of good living, and the island's name became inextricable linked with luxury to both the gods and humans.

In Cyprus food is a celebration of life, and if people are what they eat, then Cyprus is a vibrant, fresh and incredibly healthy nation. Whilst residing in or visiting Cyprus you will soon discover the important role food has to play in the lifestyles of the people of the island, and it wont be long before you too are caught up and this passion and enjoyment of eating and drinking.

Food and drink is synonymous with life and love, as much a part of the culture as Aphrodite and Othello. Everything seems to revolve around food and drink, and a meal never seems to be a small affair. Dining is always a celebration - an excuse to get friends and family together on an almost daily basis - to relax, banter, and discuss the topics of the day. The many restaurants and taverns in Cyprus are often full because it is such great value to dine out. You will often see vast groups of families and friends, of all generations, whiling away hours sipping a glass of ouzo and feasting on great hunks of barbecued lamb or fantastically fresh seafood from the surrounding waters. Even working hours are arranged so that the inhabitants of this isle can take a few hours off during the midday sun to dine in their groups before snatching a quick siesta.

The simple but flavoursome food, which relies on superb local produce and clean flavours, appeals to all palates. There is plenty of choice for vegetarians too, who will be happy to find that Cypriots treat vegetables as enticing meals in themselves rather than just dull side dishes. The tap water is drinkable, the supermarket basket in Cyprus is considered among the cheapest in Europe.

To help you understand and enjoy the pleasures of Cypriot cuisine we, at Cyprus Properties for You, have included a guide to some of the tastes you are likely to savour whilst you are on the island.

Mezedes:
A great way to get to know Cypriot cuisine, especially if you do not have a local host helping you choose your dishes, is to head to a taverna and order Mezedes. Mezedes offer a little taster of many traditional specialities, and takes the decision making out of your hands, for a very reasonable set price. A warning though must be attached to this culinary experience – the quantity and variety of dishes is immense, a true assault on your taste buds. You will be served small dishes of everything you can imagine; dips, olives, beans, vegetables, cheeses, sausages, fish, seafood, meats, casserole dishes, salads and fruit. Make sure you have worked up a hearty appetite and have plenty of time at your disposal. Then just sit back and enjoy the myriad of dishes that keep coming and coming.

The following dishes are typical of the types of dishes you could be served when ordering mezedes. These dishes can all be ordered separately if the grandeur of Mezedes doesn’t appeal.

o Various traditional breads such as pitta bread
o Various cheeses like halloumi, kaskavalli or feta
o Vine ripened tomatoes
o Olives
o Sliced artichokes
o Kapari (caper stalks)
o Lountza (traditional smoked ham)
o Loukanika (smoked sausage)
o Tzatziki (cucumber, yoghurt and garlic dip)
o Houmous (ground chick peas, with olive oil and garlic)
o Taramasalata (fish roe dip)
o Octopus
o Calamari (deep fried battered squid rings)
o Giant prawns
o Fresh fish, such as barbouni (red mullet) and tsipoura (sea bream)
o Succulent char-grilled lemon and olive oil infused chicken
o Sheftalia (home-made sausage)
o Koupepia (stuffed vine leaves)
o Souvla/ souvlakia (large/ small pieces of marinated lamb and pork on the spit)
o Village salad
o Fresh fruit in season (figs, watermelon, grapes, prickly pears, pomegranates)

Other Traditional Cypriot Dishes:
o Kleftiko – knuckle of lamb with herbs and slow roasted at a low heat in a clay oven until the meat falls away from the bone and melts in the mouth.
o Moussaka – a hearty dish made from minced lamb or beef and herbs covered with layers of sliced potatoes, aubergine and courgette and sometimes topped with a béchamel sauce.
o Pastitsio – a rich bake of meat, macaroni and béchamel sauce – similar to lasagne.
o Tavas - a veal, onion and cumin infused dish served in little earthenware bowls straight from the oven.
o Afelia – cubes of pork soaked in wine, sautéed with oil, coriander and wine.
o Stifado – winter stew made with beef and onions
o Keftedes – fried spiced pork and/ or beef meatballs
o Potatoes any way - Cyprus grows some of the finest potatoes of the world.
o Fasolia – white bean stew
o Louvi me lahana – Swiss chard and black-eyed bean stew
o Avgolemono – delicious and very soothing chicken, lemon and egg soup
o Galatoboureko – custard filo pie
o Kataifi – nut-filled shredded pastries
o Baklava – nut-filled filo pastry bathed in spiced syrup
o Melomakarona – honey biscuits
o Kourabiedes – snowy white sweet biscuits
o Loukoumades – deep-fried pastry fritters soaked in honey syrup

Some friendly advice – especially if you are going for Mezedes! The rule is ‘eat a little of each’ otherwise you'll find that halfway through your meal that you just can't go on to taste what follows!

Drinking in Cyprus:
Wine - The wines of Cyprus date back to Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian times when Cypriot wine was enjoyed in abundance, and has been of great importance to Cypriot life since then. In recent excavations in Paphos, old coins depicting a vine on one side were discovered, indicating that wine was a major source of the island's wealth. The main wine-growing area lays to the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains, high up where the sun shines clear and hot. You will find vineyards all around the area, which you can visit to sample the local wine - on the mountains, outside villages, monasteries and various small wineries. You will find the classic grapes of Cyprus - Mavro, Xinisteri, Opthalmo and Muscat. These varieties produce rich, vigorous, strong wines. Nowadays, due to a deliberate broadening of the range of wines, you will also find European newcomer grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Palomino, which produce a more delicate, fruity, mellow wine.

Commandaria - Commandaria is acknowledged to be the oldest wine in the world and probably the first ever to be given an 'Appellation of Origin'. Legend has it that commandaria was originally made for Richard the Lionheart and the Crusaders. This delightful desert wine, which has a taste not unlike sweet sherry, has been made using the same method for thousands of years. The grapes are picked late, dried in the sun to enhance their sugar content and then pressed. The run-off is collected and fermented in tanks or in great earthenware jars.

Ouzo – A perfect aperitif, or as an accompaniment for mezedes, ouzo is an aromatic, white spirit made of aniseed. Try it neat, with water or in a cocktail.

Zivania – This truly is a drink for the brave, for this white spirit could have an alcohol content of anything from 40% to 99%. It is usually drunk with Mezedes, in a relaxed manner sipping, talking and eating.

Airani – an incredibly refreshing drink made with live yoghurt and salt, perfect for hot summer days. You will find airani being sold by street vendors, and was probably invented as a means of replenishing the body of salts lost through sweat.

Cyprus Coffee – Cyprus coffee is very different to the types of coffee you might be used to drinking in the rest of Europe. It is served black and short, alongside a glass of water. Sugar must be requested when the coffee is ordered due to the coffee being unfiltered; nothing should be stirred into it after it is served, as this would agitate the coffee remnants that would have sunk to the bottom of the cup. A very common sight in Cyprus is that of old men sitting outside their local kafeneio (coffee shop) drinking coffee and playing tavli (backgammon). This would be the ideal place to taste Cyprus coffee.

Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of the Cypriot people who live on the island of Cyprus located in the north-eastern Mediterranean Sea. Cypriot Cuisine shares many features with the Greek and Turkish cuisine however it has a distinct character of its own. Having unique position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East has added exotic dimensions that make it particularly varied and delicious. Emphasizing fresh local ingredients, regional herbs and spices, and the light use of natural olive oil, the Cypriot palate is quintessentially Mediterranean in character.

Among the items you can expect to be served are: Loukanika, coriander-seasoned sausages, soaked in red wine and smoked; Dolma / Koupepia, grape leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice; Lountza, smoked pork, often served in sandwiches with halloumi, a delicious soft Cypriot cheese, (usually grilled) made from thyme-fed sheep and sometimes spiced with peppermint; sheftalia, grilled pork sausage, afelia, pork marinated in wine and coriander; stiphado, beef or rabbit stew casseroled with wine vinegar, onions and spices; and ofto kleftiko, chunks of lamb cooked in a sealed clay oven and seasoned with bay leaves.

If freshness (see markets, below) is one key to cooking in Cyprus, meze is the other. An abbreviation of mezedes, or little delicacies, meze consist of as many as 30 small plates of food, from savory dips and vegetables to a wide range of fish and meat dishes. Much more than hors d'euvres, the meze often comprise the heart of a meal itself. In some restaurants and tavernas you can choose to order seafood meze or meat meze.

Seafood dishes include calamari, octopus in red wine, barbun (red mullet), and sea bass. Some common vegetable preparations are potatoes in olive oil and parsley, pickled cauliflower and beets, zucchini, kolokas (a unique Cypriot product a bit like horse-radish), sweet potato-like root vegetable) and asparagus.

Frequently used ingredients are vegetables such as courgettes, green peppers, okra, green beans, artichokes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and grape leaves, and pulses such as beans, broad beans, peas, black-eyed beans, chick-peas and lentils.
Pears, apples, grapes, oranges, mandarines, nectarines, mespila, black berries, cherry, strawberries, figs, watermelon, melon, avocado, citrus, lemon, pistachio, almond, chestnut, walnut, hazelnut are some of the commonest of the fruits and nuts. Some of the most well-known spices and herbs are: pepper, parsley, roka, celery, mint, thyme, oregano and others.

Cypriot desserts often consist of fresh fruit, served alone or with a selection of sweet pastries or fruit preserved in syrup. These include Lokma (or loukoumades), Cyprus doughnuts with honey syrup, daktyla, ladyfingers with almonds, walnuts and cinnamon, and shammali, orange semolina cakes cut into squares. In cafes, popular snacks include kolokoti, a pastry triangle stuffed with red pumpkin, cracked wheat and raisins, and pastellaki, sesame, peanut and honey syrup bar. There is also galatopoureko, a cream-stuffed phyllo pastry. A traditional sweet treat are Lokum, Turkish delights best of gelatin flavored with rose water and dusted with powdered sugar.

Sweets "of the Spoon" (Greek: Γλυκό Του Κουταλιού) is a Greek traditional homemade fruit confectionery called spoon sweets, fruits stewed down with sugar to a desired consistency and available in a wide range of flavors. There are probably as many spoon sweets as there are fruits. They are popular in Greece and Cyprus, usually served with Greek coffee and a cold glass of water. They can also be used as ice cream toppings, or mixed with yogurt and even spread as jams over toast for breakfast.

Halloumi (Greek: χαλλούμι, Turkish: Hellim, Arabic: حلوم) is a cheese indigenous to Cyprus. It is traditionally made from a mixture of goats and sheep's milk, although some halloumi can be bought that also contains cows' milk. Industrial halloumi contains more cows’ milk than goat and sheep milk. This reduces the cost but changes the taste and the grilling properties.

The cheese is white, with distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella, and a salty flavor. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water, and can keep for up to a year if deep frozen at −18 °C (0 °F) and defrosted to +4 °C (39 °F) for sale at supermarkets. It is often garnished with mint. The mint is supposed to add a taste while some claim that it has natural anti-bacterial action that was traditionally helpful to increase the life of the cheese.

It is used in cooking, as it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point, making it an excellent cheese for frying or grilling (such as in saganakia), as an ingredient in salads, or simply fried and served with vegetables. The resistance to melting comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and placed in brine. Traditional halloumi is a semi-circle shape, about the size of a large wallet, weighing 220-270g. The fat content is approximately 25% wet weight, 47% dry weight with about 17% protein. Its firm texture when cooked causes it to squeak on the teeth when being consumed.

Cypriots like eating halloumi with watermelon in the warm months. No Cypriot meze menu would be complete without halloumi and lounza. This dish is simply a combination of halloumi cheese and either a slice of smoked pork, or a soft lamb sausage (opinion appears to differ on which is the true lounza) simply layered one on top of the other and then grilled. Halloumi is also often used in bacon sandwiches, but also makes a satisfying dish on its own or with salad.

Sheftalia (Greek: σεφταλιά) is a traditional Greek Cypriot food. It is a type of crépinette, a sausage without skin, that uses caul fat, or omentum, the membrane that surrounds the stomach of pig or lamb, to wrap the ingredients rather than sausage casing. Caul fat is transparent and naturally fatty, giving sheftalia a very nice flavor when grilled. The filling is made of ground pork or lamb shoulder or leg, onion, fresh parsley and salt and pepper. The ground meat is thoroughly mixed with the finely chopped onion, parsley, salt, and pepper and then is formed to small round balls. The mixture balls are then placed on the spreaded caul fat and then squares of caul fat are cut around them. The caul fat squares are then wrapped and shaped into little sausages and then passed through two skewers. Sheftalia are then grilled preferably on charcoal until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. They can be enjoyed with fine Cyprus red dry wine. In Cyprus it is very common to find kebab or souvlaki restaurants that also sell sheftalia in pita bread. In fact it is so common that nearly every neighborhood has at least one souvlitzidiko as the kebab restaurant is called in Greek.

Soutzoukos (Greek: σουτζούκος) is a popular traditional sweet of Cyprus. The main ingredients used to make soutzoukos are grape must, almonds or in some cases walnuts and flour.

Souvlaki is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables broiled on a skewer. It may be served on the skewer for eating out of hand, in a pita sandwich with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with pilaf. The meat is traditionally pork in Greece, or in modern times increasingly chicken. In other countries and for tourists, souvlaki may be made with other meats such as lamb and sometimes fish (especially swordfish).

Turkish Delight, or lokum (also loukoum), is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater or lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with sugar to prevent sticking. Some recipes include small nut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts.

Though enjoyed worldwide, lokum is especially familiar in Turkish, Armenian, Greek, Balkan, Iranian, and Middle Eastern cuisines.

In the United States, lokum is not especially common, although there are exceptions. One major commercial producer in the Northwestern U.S. is Liberty Orchards, founded by Armenian immigrants, which markets the candy under the name "Aplets & Cotlets" and "Fruit Delights". It is also the basic foundation of the Big Turk and Fry's Turkish Delight chocolate bars.