The love for food is what makes the Cypriots excellent cooks. Eating is in fact one of the national hobbies and often used as an excuse to get together. Some take it as an insult should food and drink be refused on a visit.
In the majority of families, food and cooking are very important and recipes are passed down through the generations. A lot of pulses are eaten by Cypriots, usually doused in olive oil and served with their favourite meat.
Some of the Island's best meat dishes to try are as follows:
Kleftico - outside oven roasted goat or lamb with vegetable .
Souvla - goat or lamb cooked on a rotisserie.
Souvlaki - grilled pork on a skewer.
Sheftalia - small rissoles of mince, onions and spices wrapped in a 'skin' of gut, similar to small sausages.
Moussaka - aubergine and potato overlaid with mince and a white sauce.
Meze: Meze can be found in almost every restaurant in Cyprus. It is the best way of sampling a variety of different small dishes - at times as many as 30. It is important to leave plenty of room! The following are the staple dishes of meze which are also vegetarian - tahini (sesame seed paste), hummus (chick pea paste), olives and fried halloumi (goat or sheep’s milk cheese - delicious and very salty).
Beans: Bean dishes are both delicious and a good alternative to meat. Ospria is the name of the general term for bean and pulse dishes.
Yemista: Stuffed vegetables or vine leaves (koupepia), most often onions, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes or courgette flowers stuffed with tomatoes, rice and herbs. Minced meat is also often used.
One other recommendation is to try the Cyprus coffee within the surroundings of a traditional coffee shop.
