Cyprus

Cyprus, the Eurasian island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, has a distinct cuisine owed in part to its proximity to Greece and Egypt. However, several political occupations throughout history significantly influence Cypriot food culture, including the most recent Turkish invasion of 1974 in which Turkey appropriated the northern third of the island. The resulting cuisine is a rich blend of primarily Greek and Turkish origins.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are often used, such as citrus, grapes, aubergines, potatoes, okra, taro, chilies and herbs—grown locally and often organically and offered at outdoor markets, such as the one in Nicosia. The markets also offer local hellim, or goat cheese, honey, olives, rice and pastas.

Traditional dishes include whole roasted suckling lamb, kebab of skewered lamb meat and liver, sheftalies, or grilled sausages, calamari fried or stuffed with cloves, cumin, mint and rice and salt cod baked in outdoor ovens. A fresh salad can include watercress, mustard or dandelion greens with chopped celery, parsley, cilantro, cucumber and tomatoes and dressed with rich olive oil and fresh lemon. Mezze, or assorted appetizers, includes dolma, fresh melon, cucumber and mint yogurt, kalamata olives, Greek cheeses, nuts, fried vegetables and kofte, or meatballs.

Cypriot beverages include light, fruity wines such as Aphrodite; the anise liqueur, Raki; and Ayran, a Turkish yogurt drink. The local cuisine includes delectable glazed fruits and desserts such as baklava and lokma, mini honey-crisped doughnuts.—Leska Tomash

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