We spent our time on Cyprus house-sitting with at a lovely house with seven cats in the small village of Dhoros, in the foothills of the Troodos mountains. We had a kitchen, so we cooked for ourselves mostly – with that being said, we did get a nice sample of Cypriot food.

Must-Eat Cypriot Food

Meze

Eating out, one of the first things you’ll find is that large quantities of food. The key Cypriot food is meze. The above picture is from a great little Taverna called To Korineon in Koilani, a village in the Troodos mountains. I know this isn’t really an individual food, rather a manner of serving the food, but it’s an important distinction here. Unless you’re at a very touristy spot in a place like Pafos, you’ll be treated to a meze. Meze is an assortment of dishes for the entire table to share. And there’s plenty of food to share.

Cypriot food has key influences of Greek and Turkish foods (which makes sense if you consider the island’s heritage, geography, and current state of occupation). So you’ll find that kebabs, olives, tahini, hummus, goat cheeses, and pitas dominate. Due to the arid, island climate, you don’t find much beef product on the island, instead it’s pork, lamb, and chicken, as well as seafood on the coast.

Taste of the Sea

Locals say the sea surrounding Cyprus is actually “dead” due to poor currents, so there is not much in terms of fishing. If you get fish, unless it’s rather small fish, it has most likely been imported from abroad. However, octopus and squid can be found in abundance, and they prepare them excellently. I had the best squid I’ve ever had here. This restaurant was called “Sunshine”, and was just below Kourion ruins, at Kourion Beach.

Middle Eastern Tastes

You’ll recognize many items here, if you’re familiar with Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern foods. Cypriot Souvlaki, is essentially a Cypriot version of a gyro, with a slight twist from traditional souvlaki. The Moussaka is a hearty eggplant, potato, sausage dish one should try with a prepared and empty stomach. My favorite was the sheftalia, an excellent spiced lamb and beef sausage.

I’m not sure what this was called, but it was a delicious lamb stew I got at Kykkos Monastery.

Oh the Cheese

There are many different cheeses you can get on the island as well. Since we were on a budget, we didn’t get a chance to sample many of them, but we did hit the two primary cheeses of the island: halloumi and anari cheese. Halloumi, is a firm, salty cheese best served grilled. It is a great addition to any dish, or can be a main all to it’s own. Anari, is a softer cheese that comes in two varieties: dry and fresh. Fresh anari is great in deserts served with honey or carob, while dry anari is more akin in parmesan. Of course, you’ll still find classic Greek cheeses such as Feta as well.

Cypriot Sweets

The Cypriots also have a fondness for sweets. You won’t find much chocolate here or what you might think of as traditional desserts, but what you will find are carob desserts and spoon sweets. Spoon sweets are dried fruits that are preserved in fruit syrups and honeys, very similar to jams or jelly. As well, you’ll find Cyprus delights. These delights are very similar to Turkish delights, but you’re on Cyprus, so they’re Cyprus Delights – not Turkish. The Cypriots can be a touchy when it comes to the Turkish.

Familiar Twists

Due to the large British expat community, you can also find some more “familiar” fare as well, such as Fish ‘n Chips. This dish I got on my birthday while in Pafos at Gourmet Taverna, next to the municipal baths. Along the waterfront in Pafos, I recommend Mar Bianco Cafe Bisto for a great meal with viewd of the bay.

There are also the familiar items with the Cypriot twist. Take the olive oil flavored potato chips and McDonald’s Greek Burger – which was made with lamb instead of beef, served inside a pita bun.

Imbibe with a Sip

Cyprus also has a longstanding, alcoholic tradition. The region where we were in north of Limassol is a historical region of wine production known as Commandaria. They produce the Commandaria dessert wine, which is very good, very sweet, and very strong. It is in fact, the oldest dessert wine in the world.

Another local drink is Ouzo. Made by double distilling dry wine with anise seed, it has a very strong flavor reminiscent of licorice. In my opinion it is best to drink straight rather than mixed.

So while you’re here, be sure to indulge in Cypriot food.

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